Closed Wine please (Oralie)

[Faye]

Those troubles of hers practically melted away entering the clothing shop with Oralie by her side. As her eyes roamed over the multicolored displays, she gave the woman’s hand a brief squeeze as the woman who introduced herself as Dawn, approached them. She didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt sligthly giddy walking with Oralie over to a nearby display where they looked at a couple of skirts like the one she wore. They were all tactfully arranged on a thin wooden rail that too her surprise, Dawn let her peruse through.

She hesitated, spared a glace for her brother, frowned, then forced a smile again as she started leafing through the skirts till she found a color that struck her fancy. It was a deep, vibrant purple hue that was prettier than anything she had ever seen before, and she chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip as she lingered with the skirt a moment. Faye trusted Oralie’s taste in these things more than her own so when she met Dawn’s eyes, she already had her decision made for her.

“Do you have a top in this color that I could wear with a creme colored skirt? Or a dress this color?” She added excitedly, then kind of flinched as she looked over at Oralie then back at Dawn, before hastily saying. “I have a few coins laid by, do you think it would be enough for both?”

Dawn smiled and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “Lets find what you’re after and then I’m sure we can figure something out if we need to.” She said kindly, and quite willingly she followed along with the older woman were they looked at a lovely purple dress that Faye found she absolutely adored. To her surprise, Dawn managed to even get Cleon to hold onto something which made Faye shyly smile before looking away. She didn’t want to be caught looking at him at that moment with him still being moody. Still occasionally she would sneak a glance, and a longer one when Oralie went over to check on how he was faring.

Almost accidentally their eyes met as Oralie and Dawn were heading back to the counter. Her brother’s face was in a word, taut. Faye found her smile falling from her face, and the corners of her mouth tugging down into a frown as tension spread across her features. She could almost feel her heartbeat in her ears, then Oralie’s sweet voice snapped her out of it. Faye blinked several times to watch the woman as Cleon passed out of the shop behind them clothes in hand.

Inside, Faye felt a flutter of nervousness as she looked from her silently departing brother over to Oralie and Dawn. She gave a nervous shrug. “I’m sorry about my brother. I don’t think he’s quite adjusted to Syka yet.” She offered by way of a generalized apology. While it was true Oralie knew intimately of their struggles and she was fine with that, she had her reservations about this older woman who reminded her a lot of her mother whom she had seen only a handful of times in her life. That woman had been kindly too, when she wanted to use you, and that was partially the reason they had run away.

Oralie on the other hand reminded her a lot of her sister Farren. There was a familiar tenderness to those eyes, and perhaps some pain as well like her sister carried. Though that was a little bit more melodramatic than Faye was wanting to dive into at the present. No, she wanted instead to cling on the happiness and seeming carefree nature of the moment. She forced a wide smile that twisted slightly in confusion when Oralie started to take care of the purchases.

“You really don’t have to do that. You’ve done so much for us already.” Faye said quietly in a meek voice just behind Oralie as she pulled at the hem of her top. This woman really was too kind, and yet she had done nothing for her. She would have to change that, as soon as possible preferably.

As she followed Oralie outside, they found Cleon sitting on the ground, though he twisted to face them as the approached. Faye stifled a gasp seeing his ruby red lower lip, as her brown knit in confusion. Cleon however acted like he hardly noticed the injury as he stood up, and answered Oralie’s question curtly before walking off. She found herself once again chewing her lower lip in nervous anticipation as she gave Oralie a plaintive look.

“Would you mind walking with me back to the Inn to make sure he gets back safe, and then, I don’t know, we could do something fun?” Faye pleaded quietly, almost under her breath, and when Oralie acknowledged the request, she’d follow slowly behind with Faye doing her best to keep her distance from her brother. Even with these knew clothes in her arms, it was hard to think about anything other than how much he had changed over the last few days, and worry that he might not change back. She hoped that would not be the case, but their visit to the Panacea had hardly done anything but make him seem worse of than when he came.

Fortunately he didn’t do anything rash on their way to the inn and in fact seemed very sedate, going so far as to relax onto a table when they walked inside. Faye lingered by the door for several moments watching him, and when she was sure he wasn’t going to get up, she took the clothes off the bench beside him and gathered them up with her own before walking over to Oralie.

“I’m just going to get these in our room, then do you think you’d like to go for a walk on the beach? Or if you have another suggestion, I’d be down to try anything really.” Oralie offered with a little smile before going to stow away the clothes. When she returned she was almost skipping, but she slowed down to give Cleon a long look before they left then Inn. She supposed it might have been better if she stayed, but she didn’t want to linger or Cleon would be all she could think about and she was determined to have at least as small break from the anxiety that had consumed her over the last few days. On that account, walking anywhere with Oralie was an excellent distraction. Moments after they had left the Inn a thought occurred to her.

“How long have you been in Syka anyways? And where did you come from?” She asked cheerily, hoping she wasn’t being too intrusive.

WC - 1,125

[Oralie]

It was a joy to shop with Faye. She suspected the girl had much the same expression Oralie had worn the first time she had been taken to buy some nice things of her own. The Kelvic watched as Faye chose a beautiful purple colour that was sure to look nice with her blonde hair.

Oralie was pleased too, that Dawn was either forceful enough, or Cleon cooperative enough for the woman to persuade him to choose some clothes. Focused on the seamstress she missed the angry look Cleon threw her way, and she was similarly oblivious to the rage that brought him stalking across the shop towards her and Faye. From the corner of her eye she saw the boy move, turning to walk straight outside, clothes still in his hands. She caught Faye’s expression and her brow lowered in a frown before Dawn caught her attention again to settle up the bill.

She nodded and smiled in agreement with Faye’s statement, sensing her nervousness around her brother. “It’s a very big change coming to Syka. Some need a little while to get used to it.”

As she handed the money over to Dawn, she felt Faye’s gentle tug on her shirt. She gave her another smile, but didn’t respond until Dawn had moved off and she had the clothes in canvas bags. “Everyone is a big family here, you’ll come to know that eventually. We all help each other out and in return other people will help us. You and Cleon don’t have a lot, I know because you had little luggage. As I do have a lot, I can help you both now. You like sewing right?” She waited for Faye’s affirmation. “When I inevitably make a hole in one of my clothes, you can fix it up for me and help me out then as I have no idea how to sew. How’s that sound?”

Outside they found Cleon on the sand. It looked like he had chewed his lip a little too hard but Oralie pretended not to notice, despite the strong smell of coppery blood filling her sensitive Kelvic nose. She had the feeling he didn’t like her all that much and probably wouldn’t appreciate her drawing any attention to it. Thankfully he seemed more present than he had been, going so far as to actually respond verbally to her question. She simply nodded, for that was all he allowed her time to do before he pushed himself up and set off back to the Inn.

She could feel the worry radiating off of Faye and Oralie gently squeezed the girl's shoulder. “Of course I don’t mind Faye.” She steered them back onto the Cobbled Pathway in the direction of the Protea and they followed along a good distance from Cleon. Oralie watched the young man as he walked, wondering what he was like when he wasn’t affected by such troubles. It was easy to see how Faye was - the excitable girl who seemed to enjoy discovering things. It saddened Oralie that she held so much worry and anxiety for her older brother, but she could understand it.

Back at the Inn, she chose to stay away from the kitchen, letting Cleon have his peace. Goddess knew he seemed to need it. She put the canvas bag with her own clothes on the chair in her room and then returned to the hallway, leaning against the front door frame to wait for Faye. She followed the girl's gaze to Cleon for a brief moment before the pair of them headed back outside once again.

Instead of walking to the pathway, Oralie directed them straight onto the beach. The sand was warm beneath her bare feet and it stretched ahead of them, golden and inviting. She wandered down near the surf as Faye fielded questions her way.
“I got here at the start of Winter, so not really too long. I can’t imagine being anywhere else now though!” She felt like somehow, she had been made for Syka. It was an odd sort of serendipity that she was here now, with her other self being a jungle cat. Even with the shadow being following her about, she wouldn’t change her path for anything.

She shot a quick glance over her shoulder to look for it, and sure enough it was drifting along behind the pair, silent and creepy as ever. As she returned her gaze forwards, she thought she noticed a familiar boyish figure heading out of the Inn but he disappeared behind the trees on the pathway before she could see clearly.

“I came here from Syliras, across the Suvan Sea. It’s a huge city inside of a castle protected by Knights.” Oralie paused, wondering how much she should share with the girl. While she now had no problem recounting bits of her past to others, she wasn’t entirely sure tales of slavery were what Faye needed to hear at the moment.
“I worked for a man who owned a large pottery. Syliras was an interesting city but sadly I wasn’t allowed to change into a cat while I was there. Just one of the many reasons why Syka is better!” She grinned to keep the mood light. "Where did you and Cleon travel from?”

As she listened to Faye speaking, Oralie wandered closer to the sea until it was almost washing over her feet. She stopped walking forwards, insead stooping to roll up the bottoms of her trousers to her knees. That done, she headed into the surf, standing so the waves came just to her mid-shin when they washed inwards. “Have you stood in the sea yet Faye?” She held out her hand to the girl. “Come on!”

Oralie smiled, enjoying the sensation of the waves washing over her skin until one particularly large wave came right over her knees. She shrieked and giggled, stepping quickly backwards out of the water until it was only her feet getting wet. “Lets run, it’s fun!” Faye needed to be a kid for a time until they had to return to the Inn and the reality of Cleon. As far as Oralie knew, children loved to run. Hai, Oralie herself loved to run, but that was the ocelot rather than the human.

She ran along the surf line, the wet sand fairly solid under her feet and the water splashing up her legs. She veered away from the water, running up the beach and threw her arms out, wheeling around in a wide circle. She ran and ran with Faye, laughing and spinning until she tripped in the sand and sprawled on her back. She laughed again, at her own expense this time and then sat up. They had run a fair way down the beach now and were closer to the core of the settlement than the Inn, the Tidepool and Randal’s shop both visible along the coast and Mathias’ place not far behind the girls. She looked to Faye, to see what the girl wanted to do next. “Would you like to visit anywhere else? Or we could run some more. Whatever you’d like to do Faye, it’s your time.”

+1198

[Faye]

Faye couldn’t agree fast enough to the suggestion for she truly loved the idea of sewing up something for Oralie in return for how nice she had been. With their bundles in hand they returned with haste back to the Inn where they stowed their things before leaving in short order, leaving Cleon on his own for now. She was secretly kind of glad for the break from the gloom as Ori was an altogether more pleasant person to be around these past few days.

As she listened to the woman tell her story, Faye’s eyes combed the beach, taking in the stretch of white sand carefully as her mind similarly picked across Oralie’s words. Her face brightened considerably at the familiar name although it was tempered somewhat by Oralie’s experience. She didn’t know much about kelvics having only just heard about them, but she could tell by the way Oralie said it that whatever had been done had been a bad thing.

Reaching out, she gave Oralie’s hand a little squeeze as their eyes met. “We come from Sunberth. Its, well I thought it was a rather boring place and my brother said it was bad so we left. I suppose I think it was bad too. The food was never good, and we didn’t eat as often as we do now. That’s why we came here I think. Better food, and we don’t have to live in a mine. I don’t think he knew we we’re coming here at first, he asked a lot of questions on our trip over, staying for a while in one place or another before finally he settled on us staying here which I’m glad about even though..” She shrugged, and then her mind seized upon something Oralie had said.

“What’s it like roaming about like a cat?” Faye asked shyly as she looked back out at the sea as they as a pair drifted closer. Without reservation Faye trotted giggling into the surf alongside Oralie, imagining what it would be like if she could also transform into a cat. Hopping forward, she laughed as it created a small splash and her feet sunk into grainy wet sand. The water was cool, a pleasant respite the the steaming heat of the jungle that made it feel like her clothing was sticking to her skin.

Faye waded deeper until the sea of the bay was occasionally lapping at the hem of her skirt, and bent to trail her fingers in it. Through the clear water she could make out the white sand, rocks and a swarm of little fish that made her giggle again as she looked up at Oralie. The chase was on.

Hiking up her knees high as she could manage, she practically leapt out of the knee high water until she was along the tideline with Oralie where she found she could really run. Surprisingly it did not take her long to catch up with Ori, a fact she quickly attributed to her spontaneous growth as both girls tumbled onto the sand when she caught up.

Laughing, she pushed herself up onto her elbows as she looked at the woman, and dug her fingers through the warm sand as she panted quietly. When she had caught her breath some moments later, she responded.

“I could go for a drink, and maybe some exploring but..” She chewed her bottom lip as she looked down then up again, smiling nervously. “Um.. Well I was wondering if I could see you change into a cat first.” A heat started emanating from her cheeks at the request as she awkwardly looked at her toes which she was currently in the process of burying beneath the sand. She wasn’t sure if that was an appropriate question to ask, and now that she’d blurted it, she nervously awaited the results while silently admonishing herself. Afterward, regardless of the response, she would apologize for her forwardness while lamenting about not being able to keep a reign on her attention.

When things had once again become settled one way or the other between them, Faye would inevitably relax back into her cheery self, smiling as an idea came to her.

“I remember this cave that we were shown the path to during our tour of this place. Would you like to go there? I would really like to get a better look at it all if you don’t mind. Then maybe afterward we can go get something to eat.” Faye suggested, biting her lower lip as she twirled a spiral of her long blond hair around her finger.

It didn’t take very long for them to find it as it wasn’t a very long walk along the beach. Faye had a hard time not skipping all of the way there, and managed to resist the urge by hopping from foot to foot while they walked along the shoreline. She was fairly excited to do some actual exploring as she had been cooped up under her brother’s wing for so long it was difficult even to place what this feeling was that felt like it was slowly overwhelming her. Whatever it was, it felt nice, almost airy as she made little footprints along the tide line and relished every time the surf washed gently over the top of her feet.

Together they managed to find the small pathway that lead deeper within the cave, and Faye let Oralie lead the way as she dutifully followed along, picking her steps carefully until they were fully inside where she got a good look at the otherworldly seascape just below the water.

“Whoaa. Why does it glow like that?” Faye asked as she looked down. Underneath the water several oblong shapes flitted about as they went from one side of the estuary to the other. To Faye it appeared almost as if they were greeting each other on occasion, which drew out a giggle before she looked at Oralie and cocked her head to the side.

“Can you talk to fish?” She asked.

WC - 1,010

[Oralie]

The shift in Faye’s demeanour was so stark that Oralie knew it had been the right thing to leave Cleon to his own devices for a time. The Kelvic had the feeling that he was over the rage-fueled episode for now and wouldn’t get himself into any further trouble for the day.

She smiled at the girl when she took her hand, squeezing gently back. Oralie nodded in recognition of the name of Faye’s home. She knew one other from Sunberth and while it didn’t sound as dire for Alric, for one as young as Faye she could see it being harder. She paused briefly in her steps as the girl revealed she had lived in a mine, but the nonchalance in her voice and the fact that she simply moved on past the topic stopped Oralie from asking any questions about it. Thinking over the last day or so, she recalled mention of Faye’s original trip to the Panacea for her lungs. At least there was one less thing for her to wonder about now.

Oralie chuckled. “Being a cat is… it feels like freedom.” She laughed as Faye joined her standing in the water, watching the happiness on the young girl's face. “I can see more, hear more, smell more… I can run faster and when I get stronger I’ll be able to explore the forests and maybe find other cats like me.” There was a wistful tone to her voice as she spoke. Oralie dreamed of running through the jungle as her feline self, of finding her kin there, but she knew those days were still a way off in the future for now.

It was fun, being a kid with Faye. As the pair of them ran along the surf line giggling and laughing, she had the strangest feeling that she had done something similar before with another person. As she tried to work out who, the memory wriggled further out of her grip until she gave up.

Oralie dug her toes into the warm sand as she sat with Faye for a moment, catching her breath. She nodded once as the girl suggested some exploring, but before she could think about places she might enjoy, Faye caught her off guard with a question of her own. Oralie smiled at the shyness with which the question was asked. “Sure, if you want.” The Kelvic had lost most of her own shyness after being in Syka for a season now, so the fact that changing her form required her to strip naked didn’t faze her one bit.

She did, however, remember Faye’s reaction from earlier in the morning, so she paused once she had stood up. “I um, have to take all my clothes off, just to warn you.” Oralie then did just that, leaving the items in a small pile on the sand. “If you want to see what happens though, you’ll have to look.” She grinned, pointed canines on show, before tiny twinkling lights enveloped her entire body.

In barely two ticks, an ocelot was standing in place of the human. It was bigger than a housecat but much, much smaller than a jaguar. The body was well-muscled and a long tail swished gently behind. A tawny coat covered it, decorated with dark bands and rosettes. Large golden eyes blinked at Faye from above a pink nose.

Oralie stood still so that the girl could look at her before she slowly sat down, folding her haunches neatly beneath her. Faye would be able to recognise it was Oralie through her eyes. Though they were bigger and rounder than when she was human, they were the same shade of honey gold and had a human intelligence not seen in animals.

After she had let Faye get accustomed to her other form, Oralie would stand and wander about a little, taking in the sights, sounds and smells with her superior senses. If Faye wanted to touch her fur, she would let her and if the girl wanted to run a little more Oralie would happily oblige, running and leaping in circles around her for fun.

Once she was human again, and had re-dressed, Oralie enthusiastically agreed to find the cave with Faye. The Kelvic hadn’t explored any caves in the settlement aside from the huge storm shelter, and she got the sense that was not the one in question.

The cave in question turned out to be little more than a stones throw from the city core and Oralie was surprised that she hadn’t been there before. It was a beautiful place, and as the pair moved further in the walls took on a luminescence that had nothing to do with the fingers of sunlight that managed to reach the depths of the cave. She shook her head at Faye’s question. “I don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Even though Oralie spoke softly, her voice sounded louder in the cave.

She knelt on the stone floor at the edge of the water, watching the fish. A surprised chuckle left her. “No. Just to the birds, like everyone else. And to cats, when I am a cat of course.” They sat quietly for a time, until Oralie had an idea. The sun was moving lower in the sky, something she could tell as the light that filtered through the broken roof changed. She had also noticed that the luminance from the walls seemed to shift at the same time.

“I know we have to go back to the Panacea tonight, but until then, why don’t we get some food from the Tidepool and come eat it in here? We can watch the fish and chat and have a yummy dinner.” If Faye agreed, Oralie would let Faye lead the way out of the cave and take her to buy some food from the bar.

Once back in the cave again, she would sit cross-legged on the floor to tuck in. “What do you think of Syka so far Faye? Do you think you will like it here?” She took another bite of her food, admiring the glow from the walls. Now that the sunlight was fading it was easier to see that a plant of some sort was providing the luminance. “What sort of things do you think you might like to do here?”


+1059

[Faye]

As a child left to her own devices, often for long stretches of time by her older siblings, Faye knew a thing or two about pretend. What Oralie was saying was a different, and entirely more exciting prospect. The thought of actually becoming an animal brought some of the magic back to her eyes as she practically floated along with Oralie as their trails ventured in and out of the surf.

Faye blushed slightly as she realized the magnitude of her request and moved to turn away slightly as Oralie said it, but not all the way as she was indeed curious about how this transformation happened. While she was far from used to the freedom Sykan’s took with their manner of dress, she was surprised to find she wasn’t uncomfortable when Oralie disrobed because maybe she felt more like a sister than a stranger at this point. So it was with wide eyes that she beheld the transformation as Oralie shifted in a flash into the largest cat Faye had ever seen.

“Awwwww.. You’re so cute!” Faye gushed as she bent at the knees to get a closer look at Oralie, and then hesitantly extended her hand out. She still wasn’t sure what was or what wasn’t acceptable, but Oralie didn’t move as she reached out and gently scratched her behind the ears before moving down to stroke her back. “Your fur is so soft too! I can’t believe you don’t do this more often.” Oralie the ocelot captivated Faye as the cat hopped around her, batted at shells and her legs before Faye was a giggling mess against the wet sand. She was surprised at how agile this woman was in this form, and wished she could have such an ability even though she got the impression that it wasn’t like that at all with what Oralie was. Whatever miraculous thing had given the woman this power, Faye was a little jealous, but also more than a little happy about getting to experience this with her.

Eventually Oralie turned back, and they chatted for a bit before Faye lead them along to the cave. Staring at the fish that darted within, Faye nodded almost absentmindedly. “That’s cool. Do they say anything interesting? The cats I mean.” Faye mused as she watched the water carefully. She perked up considerably at the mention of food, looking up at Oralie with a broad smile.

“I’d love that.” She said, and couldn’t get over to the Tidepool fast enough, or back fast enough for that matter to enjoy their meal. They’d end up going with one of his platters of fresh caught fish, a variety of sliced fruit, and strips of roasted pork to make little wraps if they wanted. Of course they promised to bring the platter back, along with the pitcher of fruit juice and two mugs they brought along with them for their little picnic. After they had taken the time to set it all out between themselves, Faye relaxed back on on elbow while laying on her side as she picked at the platter, and looked out with wonder at the water.

“I think I will. Its so big, and exciting, and the people are all so nice y’know. Besides, this is the first time my brother has let me out of his sight in like ever, so this place has to be alright, right?” Faye mused as she took a piece of fish and popped it into her mouth. She got the strangest impression that the fish were looking at her funny for that, but maybe that was just her mind running wild after the day on the beach she had just had. “I’m not sure about that though. James mentioned I could look about taking an apprenti- apprentice..ship here with someone, anyone with work that I was curious about. I just don’t know yet about that though. What do you do here anyways?” Faye asked, rolling over so she was laying on her belly, propping up her head with both hands.

Truthfully, she felt hesitant about approaching anyone about that and had expected until this point that Cleon would take care of that for her, an yet, didn’t she want a little more agency in her own life. What did she want to do anyways, it seemed like there were so many choices. She remembered the Panacea then and Kamilia’s offer, and chewed her lip at the idea. It might be fun to help at the clinic, or join Dawn at that clothing shop. There were a lot of choices, and she wanted to make sure she thought it over long and hard before she made her decision.

“What do you think about my brother? Do you think he’s going to be alright? He seems to be handling whatever this is worse than most.” Faye said softly as she took a bite of sliced mango.

WC - 820