The Art of Breaking and Entering [Elem Bree]

[Ndale Soromund]

The moment his hand touched her she ruffled her feathers lightly, a small shiver running through her as his hands slid over her back. Humans touching her made her nervous and she barely quelled the urge to peck at the offending hands but he meant no harm and that made it easier. He was soft, nervous even. Gentle probing here and there. It made sense why dogs and cats enjoyed the sensation, it was soothing. Well, for the most part a few of her more sensitive bumps seared in pain and she let out small pitiful chirps, otherwise she did nothing but let herself sway into a peaceful haze. And when his hands moved from them towards her back again she felt nothing but contentment and a small twinge of fear still firmly implanted in the back of her mind. But when the made stood she could not help the squawk of protest, it had felt nice, why on Mizahar had he stopped? Ah, the plants. She watched him curiously, silencing her protests in favor of tracking him with her eyes. She still was quite ready for a nap but at the present moment she simply folded her wings for the time being, waiting to see what he would do. Patience though, had never been her strong suit, and after of few moments of watching the human fiddle with the plants she stood, a part of her not wishing to get up and simply stay roosted but her intrigue in what he was doing overrode that. And so, she wobbled awkwardly on the cot, it was not sturdy like the floor and it seemed to surprise her for a moment but she made her way to the edge before hoping down. The moment her feet touched the solid ground she was off, inching forward cautiously to see what the man was doing. The smell of the plants was intoxicating though and she found the small bits she had not to the ground to look very appealing, her head moving down slowly to swipe them up while her eyes continuously tracked his movement.

[Elem Bree]

It was soon obvious to Elem that the bird meant him no harm and was only as surprised as he was. Perhaps not as surprised, considering it seemed to understand the common tongue. Nevertheless, it was a blessing to have any sort of company outside of professors and patients. He would not overlook the blessing nor squander it. Stepping around the various potted herbs, he found a jug of water and began to pour small sips into each plant, taking care not to pour on the leaves, the mouth of the jug nearly touching the soil.

Crouching to get the ones on the floor, he looked at his avian friend. "It's too bad you can only understand the common tongue and not speak it, bird. Your company is pleasant, but having a conversation would be even more so, I imagine." He grinned and winked at the bird, still smiling as he watered the plants. Looking around the room, he sighed slightly, out of things to do. Had there not been an albino intruder present, he would have already left by the time he found himself standing there.

Taking caution not to startle the bird, he closed the door. Not completely, just enough to cut the chill in the room down. "My apologies, but it is a bit chilly in here for my tastes. I left it cracked open should you decide to leave." He then returned to the cot, finding the warm spot left by the bird pleasant. He removed his shoes, propping one foot on his knee and massaging his ankle and foot. The brisk air caught it and gave him a slight shiver.

[Ndale Soromund]

As he moved down to make eye contact with her she found herself accepting him completely. He was an odd human, that much was certain but it was good. He respected her most did not, an overly curious bird nosing around tended to frighten or irritate them, neither ended well. And so when he made he wish for companionship know it took her several short seconds to decide. Well, actually it was probably much shorter than that but sometimes she liked to imagine she was giving it that ‘serious thought’ Mi’tavi always tried to drill into her. It was still instantaneous one moment she was staring up at him and the next she found herself looking down on him to where he sat on the bed. Upon changing though a small gasp left her, the bruises feeling strange and bit more painful in her human form, still she ignored the slight coloring that dotted her arms and sides in favor of speaking to Elem, “I can speak!” “Why do you wear these?” she never cared for shoes much herself and she figured he would answer, she had many more questions him anyhow. Like what all those plants did? Still she turned around the room, it looked different from this view. Having nothing left to do she simply sat beside the man and stared at him curiously. “Ndale Soromund.” It was her way of introducing herself and now that she could speak, she had been a tad bored earlier unable to talk back, still it had been comfortable in a manner of speaking. Then again in human form it seemed silence never sat well with her. Turning to face Elem she held out her arm, “My arm hurts.”

[Elem Bree]

Elem could feel the tension leaving his ankle as he slowly worked it, feeling the cartilage pop and relax. Whatever entity this bird was, it was welcome and he was finding himself relaxed. Until it spoke.

And was a human.

And was a woman.

And was naked.

Elem's jaw hung loose, thankfully held on by the skin surrounding it. His eyes scanned the pale white flesh of the woman before him, stopping a bit too long in a few places. Now the roles were reversed and he was the one who could not speak. He had never seen a woman naked, not even his mother. He was completely adrift in an ocean of awe.

She was saying something about shoes. Shoes were good. You wore them. His head bobbed up and down as if he were nodding, but it was probably just some kind of tic caused by the shock. He had nearly forgotten she was a bird before. Her pink eyes, one swiveling in all manner of direction, along with her white hair, which she seemed to carry elsewhere besides her head...what was he doing? He shook his head as she plopped down beside him, a beautiful naked woman, sitting next to him on his cot.

"Ndale Soromund."

...

"My arm hurts."

And there it was extended before him. A lovely arm it was, silky smooth skin finding his fingertips, dotted with bruises, attached to a shoulder, the two lines hovering near what had to be the most perfectly shaped breasts he had never seen. He swallowed hard.

"Uh..I'm Elem Bree. Your arm..yes."

Yes, he could say his name. He vaguely recalled it being his name. People called him that. He stood straight and then he stood up from the bed. His back was to her now, which helped, sort of. Looking down, he realized he had a growth of his own, shock becoming fright becoming embarrassment and then just going back to dumbstruck awe. He looked at the table and its strategically perfect row of plants, moving there before turning around.

"You turned into a human. Could you..maybe..cover yourself up with that blanket?"

His eyes had no hope of tact. He would do his best to make up for them. And to think of anatomy class...no, herbalism class..to bring his mind somewhere other than where it was nestled currently.

[Ndale Soromund]

OOCJust felt the need to share but I about died of laughter while reading Elem's last response and writing Ndale's. Such an amusing little scene~ “Yes,” she spoke cheerfully, “Elem Bree, medical student.” It was spoken as if rehearsed and it was obvious she was a bit confused as to what the problem was. Of course, she was dimly aware nakedness was frowned on but that was in public, surely humans were not so skittish in their own homes? "You turned into a human. Could you...maybe...cover yourself up with that blanket?" "I am Kelvic." Apparently they were. Ndale was not offended by his gaze though and seen no particular reason do as he said, a twinge of mischievousness followed by a thick curiosity of the situation. One like this had never been presented before and was aware of the technical aspects of it. If anything Elem’s technical aspect was quite happy with her state of undress. Still, he would fix her arm, wouldn’t he? Shifting slightly she stood and turned bending to tug off her sheets before settling herself under them. Once she was comfortable she curled herself up lightly on his bed, resting so she faced him, her hand propped up on one arm. In doing so the sheet slid down a bit more but Ndale made no move to fix it, her own eyes flicking to places that were not in the least bit decent. “You feel…different?” she couldn’t quite remember the word the text had used, “The book said men do feel a…heat!” She seemed much too proud of herself given the situation, momentarily distracted from her non serious injuries. Still, she seemed to be blatantly ignoring the fact that Elem was trying to keep some form of decorum and wished for nothing more than data. Whether or not the poor man wished to speak of it. What most would think of as seducing could not be said of this woman though. Her eyes held nothing but honest curiosity and though she stared it was not with lust but with interest. Never before had she seen anything or been in anything like this. How fascinating!

[Elem Bree]

Kelvic. Elem had read of them somewhere, or maybe it was something he had heard of. A leftover of Pre-Valterrian magics, they were a race of shapeshifters, though there was more to it. He had never seen much good come from magic himself. It seemed to him that the Gods had all the power that mankind needed. If magic was such a good thing, why was there a prison for insane ones in Zeltiva?

These thoughts, he imagined, were an easy way to ignore the elephant, or in this case, the albino peahen, in the room. The former peahen turned beautiful image. He made no attempt to turn his eyes, though he could feel some flush in his cheeks. Put the blanket on she did, but only after turning, bending and stretching out on the bed. She seemed almost proud, perhaps taunting his obvious innocence. He would have been insulted, but her curves and pink eyes melted all of that way.

"Kelvic. I know little about your kind." He had more questions, but they had different references to shapes and shifting.

“You feel…different? The book said men do feel a…heat!”

Any dregs of flush backed up and returned to his face among other places. His rational mind was already doing its magic, justifying the perusal of this topic. For medicine's sake. Not completely, of course. Probably not at all, but it remedied him of some of his shame, so it worked. What would he do should he find a girl so lovely in the Infirmary? Hardly the kind of bedside manner he was supposed to have. And what a marvelous way to study anatomy. Were it curriculum to study a living, breathing female form, he imagined class attendance would be perfect, the ladies receiving their own studies.

Stepping away from the plants, as it was a moot point, he took a few steps closer, his eyes devouring her. "Yes, a heat would be a fine term for it. I do feel very different. My breathing has quickened, my pulse is strong and rapid. Most of all though, I am filled with the desire to join you. Was there a word for that too in this book of yours?"

What words could be seen as sinister coming from a more practiced and experienced man were merely unbridled and honesty and curiosity in Elem. A breeze against his back reminded him and he turned and closed the door firmly before returning to the focus of his attention.

[Ndale Soromund]

Posturing. It was what the book shad said male peahens do. Humans though, were another story entirely. There was many things involved besides the showing of the colors, words were exchanged, food…she frowned for a moment, slightly confused. Did this mean that all humans who ate and exchanged the proper words mated? If so, why were they all such prudes? Ah, well, a mystery for another day. It was the sound of the door that brought back her thoughts, Elem’s question finally surfacing into her mind. Join her? The book? This man wished to mate her then. Wait—no. It wasn’t mating, it was, ugh, the word alluded her until… “Intercourse!” her glee did not last long though for once more her gaze turned to the male in the room, when exactly had he come so close? Ndale tensed slightly before relaxing just as quickly, he smelt of oregano. In response she felt her own heart stutter slightly, but it was not in nervousness, no she was excited. This was an aspect of human life she was not aware of and to be frank she had her own species attempt but they had never interested her. This one on the other hand…even without knowing what she was had spoken to her. Intriguing. And odd. He did realize she was still a bird didn’t he? All the same she carefully lifted the blanket and grinned slightly, her eyes locked on to his and alight with interest to see what he would do. “Are you going to join?” Never one to wait for a reply Ndale reached out towards Elem, kneeling on the bed to try and match his height. Her arms gripping his shoulders lightly for support she had seen humans do this before, it was the correct form of courting, wasn’t it? Lightly she pressed her lips to his cheek before pulling back and tugging the young man with her onto the bed. *Fade to black*

[Elem Bree]

Elem had often stared at the small cracks and inconsistencies in the cottage's ceiling, though at the moment they were new to him. Everything was new. The air tasted sweeter, the light through the window was brighter and the warm soft form next to him felt softer and smoother than anything he had ever touched. He leaned his head over and kissed Ndale on top of her head, the silky white tufts like clouds. He felt an infectious and infallible grin spreading across his face. The rumors were true. Sex was everything it was cracked up to be.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself. I certainly did." he slid his arm around her a little tighter, careful to avoid her bruised places. His hand then slipped over the curve of her hip, his nose tracing against the side of her cheek. " You are welcome to come here anytime you like. We don't have to do this, though I won't ever turn it down." He giggled a bit and felt no awkwardness over it. She was so perfect to him, even with her loopy eye and complete lack of tact.

"Are you attending any classes at the University? I take medicine, of course, as well as herbalism, hence the plants here. My mother is an herbalist and my father makes shoes." He turned to her, sliding over on his hip and pulling the blanket up over them a bit more. "Tell me about being Kelvic and what it is like. I have only heard rumors and I would like to know all I can." About you.

[Ndale Soromund]

Affection was not something her species was fond of. Then again mating for most animals was necessity rather than a pleasurable thing for whenever the mood hit them. Either way she could not help stiffening against her partner, a sudden urge to bolt overcoming her. It was swiftly silenced by Elem’s words thrumming through her, his voice echoing against her pleasantly, his arm embracing her gently. So when his next gesture of affection was displayed she felt herself curving into him, a warm sleepy feeling overcoming her much like after a warm drink. Again? This man wished to bed her another time? With her and not another? How odd. She was a stranger to the human act of sex but not to her feathered brethren who often had harems of peahens consisting of at least five. Thinking back onto her book she wasn’t sure if she remembered reading that humans mated with papers and jewelry. And with only one. It was this particular line of thought that had her hesitating, unsure of what the correct answer was. She had gotten her research out of it. Intercourse was indeed a pleasurable thing as a human but she neither seen a reason to do it again or to see Elem again. No matter how comfy he and his bed were. Ndale was sure though that no matter the answer she would give it would not be one the human wished or expected to hear. “Again? Maybe. I…have finished my knowledge gathering.” Her words were careful, a strange something welling up from within her and threatening to silence the words and drag them back into her. She almost wished to say something else but was not sure what. Instead of confusing herself more she settled for listening to his voice, letting it wash over her, her head falling back on his shoulder and her fingers tracing his hand lightly. “A shoe creator?” Ndale smiled slightly, such a strange job, she would love to see it. “I do not go to the University…but I study, people, humans…you.” “Kelvic’s are animals. We were human bodies like magic but we are not human. But our minds are not completely animal either and young ones can lose their mind. I am a bird but no all are, some are cats,” she said the word grudgingly, her face scrunching, human or animal those things always tried to eat her, “some are wolf, ox…anything.” Rolling in his arms Ndale let the silence permeate the room and reached up to toy with his hair. She was still unsure, she did not like the feeling of not knowing, so sure she had been that the research would be fine but now…now what did one do? Not to mention her body seemed content to laze about in this man’s arms. How curious. “We do not see the way humans do.” She continued softly, her own voice surprising her, “I do not know any other way of being, being a Kelvic is being a Kelvic…like being Elem is being Elem. Is unique.” “Is not always fun though. I came to Zeltiva to search.” She did not elaborate, instead beginning to ask Elem her own questions. “You like…fixing things? People? Why?”

[Elem Bree]

“Again? Maybe. I…have finished my knowledge gathering.”

A slight flutter of Elem's heart occurred as he wondered if this meant she would never return. He felt a pang of pain in his chest but let it dissolve under the tracing of her fingers over his palm. He hoped she would come see him again. Maybe it was for the carnal experience as much as it was his genuine interest in her. It was too early to tell. He simply enjoyed the moment they were sharing, watching her tiny pale fingers move.

He was pleased to have her so close and he listened to her explanation of Kelvic. He had always suspected they were the other way around before, but her natural curiosity was exactly correct in both forms. She was clearly a peahen either way, though he clearly preferred her human form. He listened to her pearly voice ooze into his ears, making him sleepy. her words carried the premise of a past which could have been hard. It had to be hard being so confused in a body that seemed like it wasn't your own.

“You like…fixing things? People? Why?”

He sucked lightly at his teeth as he thought about it, looking into her pink eyes with something..love? Surely not, but it seemed right. " I suppose it came with my herbalism studies. The oregano, for instance, has a property which helps to keep sore muscles or bruises from aching to much. Of course, it also makes a fine spice for food, but there are so many uses for plants to help one's health. This caused a natural progression to want to share this knowledge with others. Medicine became a passion once I began to see that I could help to heal others and make them feel better. Mizahar is full of monsters and violence and someone must choose to heal as much as others want to hurt."