Flashback Cats Like the Dark (Poison)

[B'Naomi Tomva]

“I do not mean to insult your security. I just was in awe at the view. Father said it was wonderful, but this is amazing! Here, you can have these,” she apologised, handing over the Tamo Daggers, neatly locked into each other. She felt like a child getting their teddy taken away, as the daggers basically were her teddy growing up. She really did not believe the one guard’s assurance that they were not plotting something evil. She would not have assumed otherwise, but now that it was on the table, she was suspicious. She could not really do anything about it, after all, she was the one that was lying. Lying was a foreign concept to her, she thought it was somewhat pointless, but in this case, her life depended on it. “That’s it? It looks fantastic!” she praised, raising her brow, her eyes asking, ‘May I lead?’ Without waiting for her response to her nonverbal quiry, she started off towards the building they pointed to on graceful feet. While walking she asked, “Could you lead me to the market on the marrow? But right now all I want is rest. It has been a long way coming here.” She wondered if she could sell some of her potions while she was in Kalinor. She did not think they would have many sellers of that type locally, and some of the items she could make were very useful.

OOCTwo questions, would bonding with a Symestrian save her? And would making them potions make her valuable enough not to mate with?

[Poison]

„Thank you“, Alanys said, took Naomi’s daggers and handed them to Demyan as well. As the Kelvic asked her if she could lead, she nodded curtly, but immediately warned her, „But don’t fall off the web!“ „It would be such a shame if we had to look for a new surrogate“, she whispered to Demyan in Symenos. „I just hope her stupidity won’t rub off on her children!“

Fortunately the Meadows Public House was located at the red strand road, the widest road in Kalinor. The risk of falling off the red strand road was comparatively small (unless somebody pushed you, which Alanys and Demyan weren’t doing of course since they wanted to use Naomi as a surrogate). And so Naomi, Demyan and Alanys reached it safely.

„We’ll take you to the Orchard Market tomorrow morning“, Demyan assured Naomi. Alanys sniggered as she heard that. Who knew where Naomi would really be then? „But I agree, you should really get some rest now. Let’s go inside and see if the Aconites have a room for you.“ With that he opened the door. Alanys entered the inn behind Naomi to make sure that she couldn’t run.

~~~

The Meadows Public House was one of the few locations in Kalinor that didn’t require exceptional agility of its inhabitants. It had been created for the traders that occasionally visited the city. The stairs in the house were wide (by Symenestra standards, at least), and everything was well lit.

The first floor where Naomi and the guards were now contained a hearth and a small cooking space and a large number of tables and chairs. There were also sofas and a fireplace. All in all the room with its brown walls and tapestries depicting forest scenes looked quite cozy.

The room was currently mostly empty. Two red haired human men sat in a corner, and another human, an older man with brown hair was working in the cooking space. All three looked up as Noami and the Ochya entered. A waitresses, a pretty Symenestra girl with black hair and golden eyes immediately walked up to them and smiled, trying her best to hide her surprise at seeing what looked like a young human woman here.

„Good day“, she greeted her. „I’m Sonara Aconite. What can I …?“ „The girl needs a room“, Alanys interrupted her. In Symenos she added, „She is potential surrogate, but she is unaware of it so far. Treat her normally and make sure that she doesn’t leave the house.“ Sonara’s eyes widened as she heard that, and then she nodded and turned to Naomi, „Follow me. I’ll take you to your room. It’s on the second floor. How long do you plan on staying?“

[B'Naomi Tomva]

Naomi though the pub looked nice, it felt very welcoming, like a surface tavern wood, except for here most of the decorations were silk. There were forest scenes that made her feel a pang of homesickness for the lush environment that lie above them. A woman, Sonara greeted her, offering to escort her to her room. “I am staying for around a week or two. Then I must go meet my father in town just down the mountain,” she answered, heading up to the second floor with the Innkeeper. She could see rooms branching off from where she stood, with doors with flowers on them. So this is what was meant by flowery rooms. They looked quite nice. The woman stopped at one of the rooms and gestured to go inside. Naomi passed through the threshold, if you could call it that, and stopped to examine her room. It was rather large, for a Kalinor house, and was well decorated with silk, matching the color scheme of the flower on the door. The bed was large and very comfortable looking, the sheets were made out of outstanding quality silk. She was suddenly aware of simply how tired she was, her eyelids starting to droop. She set her pack down on the floor and flopped onto the bed, her red hair cascading around her. Yes, the bed was amazingly soft, probably better than anything she had ever slept on, though she prefered a nice patch of warm moss. Quickly, she lost consciousness and wandered the forests of her dreams.

[Poison]

Sonara took Naomi to her room and made a bit of harmless smalltalk with her before she left again. She didn’t walk down the stairs though, but lingered near the door. After a few chimes she peered through the keyhole. Seeing that Naomi was already asleep, she quietly slipped a key into the keyhole and turned it around. Naomi was trapped. None of the houses in Kalinor had windows. The door was the only point of exit. Fortunately the Kelvic didn’t know that yet. Her sleep was deep, and it would last several bells.

~~~~

She would be awakened by a knock on the door. Sonara stood there, carrying a tray with what looked like Naomi’s breakfast. Behind her was a stern looking Symenestra man in a grey robe. „This is Doctor Hellebore“, Sonara introduced him. „He’ll briefly examine you. It’s routine practice. Since we Symenestra live so far from the other races and have so little contact with the surface world, we are less resistant to certain diseases.“

„I hope you don’t mind.“ She walked into Naomi’s room and set the tray down next to the Kelvic’s bed. „I brought you human food. There is bred, some ham and butter and fruit juice. I didn’t think that you would appreciate a bowl of Bruka or some blood.“

„Alanys and Demyan are already on their way by the way“, she continued. „They’ll take you around Kalinor and show you the market. There’s another gathering place for surface dwellers in the city, one that is a bit more luxurious than this one.“

„You’ll also be taken there.“

With that she stepped back and allowed the doctor to approach Naomi.

[B'Naomi Tomva]

Naomi awoke to a knock on her door, followed by the Innkeeper saying that she had brought breakfast and a doctor, but more importantly breakfast. She was famished, having not eaten in many chimes. With a small click the door opened to reveal the woman, and a man in grey, probably the doctor. Wait, the lock had clicked. Why had the door been locked? It did not look to be too sturdy of a door, she could probably kick it down in her human form, and certainly as a tiger. Still, this caused her to be wary. Looking at the food now she was exited at the ham, not so much for the bread though. But hey, food was food. She did not trust the juice, as juice was great for hiding poison, the sweetness was usually enough to mask most concoctions' taste. She wolfed, so to speak, down her bread and meat in fewer bites than was socially acceptable. "You may conduct your tests now doctor, though I doubt I am any sort of sick. Oh, and can I have some water? I don't have a taste for juice," she asked innocently, glancing at the doctor pointedly. "Oh, I forgot to ask yesterday, but is suppose this is more of a question for a doctor anyhow," she rambled, looking thoughtful. Looking at the doctor, she asked, "Do you have need of any medical potions or antidotes? I can produce many useful philters that are highly effective treatments for various illnesses." She liked the idea of helping these people, so cut off form the world, it brought a warm glow to her heart. "Now, go ahead with this exam. What does it entail exactly?"

OOCYou can go ahead and post the examination in your next post, but Naomi might resist if pain is caused by it.

[Poison]

„I’ll bring you some water“, Sonara said. „Doctor, you can begin your examination in the meantime.“ The doctor nodded curtly and approached Naomi. As she asked if he needed medical potions or antidotes, he furrowed his brow and hesitated for a moment. Apparently this woman, this future surrogate actually had a few useful skills. Maybe he’d have her make a few potions to find out how good she was before she gave birth to her child.

It was such a shame that it was always the women that came with useful skills. If she were a man, he might have hired her to work at the Purging. But hiring a potential surrogate was too problematic.

„I could use a few potions“, he replied. „And now sit up and be still. I need to listen to your breathing and your heartbeat.“ He put a tube against her chest. „And now open your mouth. Stand up and turn around.“

Naomi would notice that Doctor Hellebore had not answered her second question. He just gave orders, and when he was done, he stepped back, pulled a notebook out and wrote something in it.

It was just then that Sonara returned with a glass full of cool water. She handed it to Naomi. Behind her were Alanys and Demyan. The room was suddenly crowded. While Demyan stayed near the door, Alanys approached the doctor.

„Did you already examine her?“ she asked in Symenos. The doctor nodded. „She’s in perfect health. Of course I could not tell whether she is a Kelvic or a human, but it doesn’t matter anyway as you know. Her child will be strong.“

Alanys smiled, pleased, and turned to Naomi. „Once you have finished your breakfast, we’ll take you on the tour of the city that we promised you yesterday. There are a few other surface dwellers living in Kalinor. Would you like to meet them? Are you excited?“

[B'Naomi Tomva]

Naomi grinned as she could tell that the doctor thought she would be an asset to him. She would have to try to get an audience with him at some point so that she could show him her skills. She thought it odd that he did not answer her second question, but decided it was not worth pestering him, perhaps running what might be her only chance to make some coin down here. She opened her mouth, revealing her sharpened teeth, in reply to which he poked her with a tube. It was insulting behavior to say the least, but she supposed he was a doctor; he should be allowed some leniency. She jumped through the rest of the hoops the doctor asked of her, and seconds later Sonara handed her a glass of water, feeling icy to the touch. She quickly sniffed it, detecting many minerals, but no poison. She mentally shrugged and downed the glass in a few quaffs. She noticed that the doctor was writing in some sort of book, maybe her score? Had she just been graded? She concluded that she must have passed, as she was perfect, not to mention as egotistical as ever. The doctor spoke to Alanys, who seemed to think that this news was quite joyous indeed. She looked at the remains of her breakfast, thinking that she was finished with it, and nodded. “Yes! I can not wait to meet them!” she answered excitedly, her green eyes seeming to sparkle in the dim light. She wondered if there were any other females down in this cave of the spidermen. She did not think anyone would stay here for long if they had the choice, she wouldn't at least. It did have a sort of haunting beuty, but it was no forest. She waited for the guards to lead the way, barely resisting the urge to bounce up and down in anticipation.

OOCBy the way, if she gets tipped off too much about the true nature of this place, Naomi is probably going to take the shiv out of her hair and use it to hold one of the Semestrians hostage. Probably the doctor or the innkeeper, if they are near. Also, would they let her give birth in the open air (IE: in a forest)?

[Poison]

As Naomi said that she could not wait to meet the other surface dwellers, Alanys smiled again. „There are a few lovely ladies living here“, she informed her. „They are about your own age. Maybe you’ll even find somebody from your own home? Anyway, let’s go.“ She looked at Demyan. „Let’s start our tour of Kalinor, shall we, Demyan?“

„Unless you need something else from our guest, Doctor Hellebore?“ The doctor who was just packing his things looked up for a moment and replied, „No, I’m done. I will return to the Purging now. I’m pleased that our guest is healthy. Viratas is smiling on us today.“

He turned to Naomi. „Maybe we’ll meet again.“

~~~~

The tour of Kalinor was quite fascinating, even if the Symenestra they passed by were staring at Naomi. Alanys and Demyan showed Naomi the Temple of Viratas – that they would visit later because there was a mass taking place now. They showed her where the Cribellum, Kalinor’s library was. Alanys informed her that most outsiders wrote their story down and gave it to the library. They also passed by Meine Madras, the school of Kalinor.

Finally they stopped in front of a large building that was decorated with silk and velvet and just looked cozy somehow. As they stood in front of the wooden door, Naomi could smell perfume, and she could hear music as well. It seemed to be quite a lovely place. „This is where the other women are staying“, Alanys informed her and knocked on the door before she opened it. She exchanged a look with Demyan, and then the young man said,

„Ladies first.“ He gestured for Naomi to step forward. And then both Symenestra pushed her – hard. Naomi could see that there was no room behind the door, no staircase, nothing but a hole …

[B'Naomi Tomva]

Naomi had quite enjoyed the tour of Kalinor. It had gone about swimmingly, she particularly loved seeing the wonderful library, which she planned on writing down her experience in Kalinor. The temple seemed nice, though she did not really believed in religion. Infact, the tour fascinated her so, that she might have considered coming here more often. Would have, except things went downhill quite quickly. She stood in front of a large building that had silk decorations, making it look highly desirable to stay in. Apparently, there were other women stay in her, and she could see why. She was excited to meet them, to have them tell her stories about how they came to be here, and if they resembled her’s in some way. The man offered her the door, and she stepped forward. Time seemed to slow as the door swung open, revealing nothing but a large hole in the place where a nice room should have gone. She felt a heavy pressure on her back and she stumbled into the hole. She gave a quick growl of surprise as she was pushed, landing at the bottom on side; it was not the most graceful of landings that she had ever experienced. She had been betrayed. Naomi reached into her pack took out a bottle of a murky grey/green, gel-like substance, which she uncorked and applied to her fingernails liberally. After doing the same with her toes, she resealed the bottle and replaced it in the pack, setting it down by her side. The substance was a mixture of mushrooms and vine extract, her specialty poison she lovingly had named Agitabit Mortem, which caused fainting, hemorrhaging and convulsions, then death. Finally time to put it to use in a non-testing environment. Naomi let the substance dry (it took seconds), then quickly striped off her cloths. In a shower of golden sparks she shifted into a massive tiger, which nearly filled up the entire hole. She let out a bellowing roar, a roar that conveyed her anger at the Symestrian people for backstabbing her. It was a sound that would echo off the giant caves walls, causing every creature between them to freeze and look about in fear.

OOCNot sure what the hole is made out of, so I role played like it was stone/wood.

[Poison]

Naomi landed in a circular room that was lit with countless opalogems. The floor was covered with an incredibly soft carpet. The walls were covered with white and golden silk curtains, and there were comfortable looking couches and potted plants standing there. It was a rather strange place to end up in after having been thrown into a hole in the floor …

Out of the corner of her eyes she could see a woman standing in one of the three doors that led out of the room. She was human, not much older than twenty, blonde and heavily pregnant. As Naomi growled she made a step back, but she did not run as curiosity compelled her to watch. As Naomi put some kind of substance onto her hands and feet and proceeded to undress, she looked confused, and then, as the Kelvic shapeshifted, she screamed … and screamed … and screamed …

Within less than a chime three Symenestra women had arrived from other parts of the house. They were all wearing the same white silk robes so that it looked almost as if they were wearing some kind of uniform. „We aren’t here to harm you!“ one of them said. „Please calm down!“ Another one rushed towards the pregnant woman that had screamed.

Behind her Naomi could hear a sound. Alanys and Demyan had jumped through the hole as well. They were quite shocked to watch the surrogate they had harvested turn into a dangerous animal. They had not expected that. Doctor Hellebore hadn’t said anything about her being a Kelvic!