Solo A Walk

[Jenni Twilight]

x

-- Fall 1st, 513 AV --

Jenni woke with a headache. A bad one. She groaned and rubbed her scalp irritably, wishing it would go away. It was just after Dawn rest, and for some odd reason she's accepted a drink from someone. She could never hold her alcohol well, and so landed herself this: a hangover. It wasn't that bad, considering, but it still left her annoyed and grumpy. She rolled over in her bed to stare straight into the purple eyes of Crook, her cat. He gazed at her unblinking, lounging casually on the edge of the bed. The Twilight spent nearly a chime looking directly into the feline's gaze, before breaking away to roll onto her back. She wanted to sleep all the way to and through noon rest, but knew that- after she'd woken- there was no returning to sleep.

A grudge now, she heaved herself off the mattress and dressed, stubbornly ignoring Crook. For some reason she felt like this headache was all his fault, and so was punishing him rightly. That done, she leaned against the wood of her bed, and massaged her temples. It didn't help much, but it felt nice anyways. As Jenni rested there, something popped up in her perifieral vision, and felt a sudden weight on her head. Glancing up, she quickly found the answer. Crook had sauntered over to sit half on the bed, half on her head, his long body stretched out majestically. She could feel his paws pressed into her scalp, as well as his long, grey fur. The cat was peeking just over her forehead, his whiskers ticking her pale skin. "Move it" she grumbled to him, not up for the feline's shenanigans. "Meow" was Crook's reply, and he stretched.

Annoyingly, with the stretch, the cat flexed his paws, and sent his claws digging straight into her scalp. The Twilight yelped, jumping up and shoving the feline off her head and onto the bed harshly. She glared at him, angry at him for ruining her morning, before turning and crashing down into her previous place. The claws had not helped with her headache. Jenni brainstormed ways to get over this, attempting to decide what to do with this part of her day. Honestly, she didn't want to sit hunched over a book, reading or writing. She enjoyed new knowledge, but right now... wasn't the time. Instead, she decided to go on a walk, out the Amaranthine gate, and to wander through the Misty Mountains a little. The fresh air would help... right?

The Twilight picked herself up and began to head out the door, glancing back at Crook, to see if he was still on her bed. He wasn't. Gazing around, she finally found him in the last expected place: her feet. "You want to come?!" she asked the cat in surprise. Partially because he would be annoying, and partially because the feline almost never left her room. He seemed to like it there. A lot. "Fine" she said, giving in to his unblinking stare. His eyes were still that purple color, one of the features she liked about him the most. The orbs changed colors into the most wonderful shades. It was one of the reasons they were the first thing she tried to morph into, though getting the colors to change on her own moods was a lot harder.

Jenni leaned down to pick up the cat, hefting him into her embrace. Crook didn't complain, but snuggled deeper into her hold. He was a large cat, much bigger than most she'd seen, and the weight put a slight strain on her arms. Though she wasn't the most physically fit, she was at least used to his feeling. Cat in arms and head still pounding, the Twilight walked out her door and out on her journey.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

x

[Jenni Twilight]

x

They reached the gates with no problem- the streets weren't too crowded or rowdy, as it was day time, and people were a little more... calm... when Syna was up. The Twilight strode through confidently, but her mind was elsewhere. Though she looked in perfect health, her head was still pounding. She just wanted solitude, with no one around. Well... Crook didn't count as a person. The cat lounged in her arms majestically, as if he was the center of all Lhavit's attention. Jenni had tried to teach him otherwise, to no success. He was completely full of himself. As they neared the exit of the city, he squirmed and leaped out of the girl's arms, landing gracefully on the street. He began to stride towards the Shinya that guarded the gate, much to Jenni's surprise. She'd never seen him intentionally leave her hold. He seemed to enjoy the effortless transport. Crook was just being odd today. Very odd.

The Twilight jogged after her cat, having lost distance stopping in amazement. For some reason he seemed to walk quite fast, and it took her longer than she'd thought to catch up. It was sort of humiliating to chase her cat down the street, thinking about it. Still, they quickly reached the two guards, and Jenni raised a hand in greeting, calling "Morning" The Shinya responded in kind, and the girl set off down the long path out into the wilderness. She would have rather not spoken to anyone, but it still would have been awkward to not greet the men... Something nagged at her about them though. One of them... he'd seemed particularly familiar, but she couldn't pin down how she recognized the guy. Sure, the Shinya around were a familiar sight, but it was something a little... more... than that.

She forced away the thought, finding no reason to linger on it, especially when thinking too much gave her a headache. She focused on the here and now, gazing at the scenery around her. She always loved the area around Lhavit- the sights, the sounds, the solitude. Jenni took a deep breath of air, before letting it out, feeling herself relax already. This was what she enjoyed the most. She crossed her arms before her and watched Crook scamper down the path eagerly. He liked it too, it was obvious. It took several times to make their way to the base of the path, passing the skyglass house where the guide lived.

From there, she moved into the forest as far as it took to get the cottage out of her sight. Though she knew the man would hear her if she yelled, it was still invisible, giving the sense of being alone. Finding a nice, fat tree, she leaned against it, sliding down the rough bark to rest against the ground. Only now did she feel completely calm, and relaxed. Her headache was already receding leaving only a sense of... peace. The Twilight sighed with pleasure, staring up into the wide, leafy branches of the tree. Crook returned after a quick scout, sitting down beside the girl and leaning heavily on her thigh. Jenni glanced at him, stared at his thick fur, before running a hand through it.

On a sudden inspiration, she decided to try and copy it. She focused on the fur a little more, feeling it, taking in the roughness, the appearance, the color. It was a medium grey, though slightly scattered with darker and lighter shades. In some parts it was nearly an inch long, especially his sides, which the Twilight was trying to copy. Deciding that she finally had a good image of it, she focused on the top of her forearm, bringing her Djed up into the spot. Jenni tried to recreate that on her body, drawing up long, thick hairs, coloring them the right shade, often glancing back at the feline to check. She could feel her body shifting and stretching into the hair, and smiled. She stopped the change, but held it for a while, staring at the thick hair sitting awkwardly on her arm, before letting it go. The hair sunk back into her skin, returning to it's normal shape.

The Twilight grinned widely at her accomplishment and ruffled Crook's fur affectionately. She rested a little longer, laying her head back on the hard bark, hand resting on the feline's side. One leg was bent, the other straight, mostly so she could stay upright on the uneven ground. Comfortable, she tried to empty her mind of thoughts, just focusing on the feeling of her hands, her back, the sun on her head. She breathed in, trying to keep it calm and steady, before breathing out. The morphing had tired her slightly, and though she didn't enjoy the feeling, Jenni knew that to get any better at the art, she had to strain herself. But at the same time, she had to stay careful not to strain to hard, to avoid over giving.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

x

[Jenni Twilight]

x

Feeling a little more rested, and a lot more relaxed, Jenni re-opened her eyes and gazed at her surroundings. She was surrounded by trees, on a hill, but just before her was the Amaranthine river, rushing by, and sparkling in the morning sunlight. She pushed herself up, balancing on her toes for a moment, before standing straight. Crook, upset by the movement, scrambled around before re-gaining his dignity, sitting down and licking his paw. The Twilight, however, ignored the cat, and, finding the river, picked a random direction and walked along it, hoping it wasn't the one towards the city.

It wasn't, and she walked for a few chimes, hands in pockets, while her cat scouted the area ahead. There was a pause, when he went silent, a short scuffle, and a squeak. Moments later, the feline emerged clutching some small rodent in his jaws proudly, offering it to Jenni. Crook dropped it at the girls feet, before sitting, staring at her face expectantly. "Uhhh no thanks" she told him, shoving it away with a booted foot. "You can eat it. I don't want it." The cat seemed to understand her, otherwise it was just natural instinct, took back his gift and began munching on it happily. Wanting to about the sight, the Twilight kept walking, returning her thoughts to the view around.

While she explored the bank a little, Jenni found a kind of a jackpot. A tree, with large, low branches. Perfect for climbing. Though she had little to no experience climbing trees, she decided it would be a good time to try it anyways. Finding a branch at about her waist, she grabbed to above, and attempted to lift a foot up onto the wood. It took a few tries, her arms scrawny and not particularly strong, before she managed to get a good foot hold. From there, she pushed up with her leg, standing on one foot before getting the other on the branch as well. She took a deep breath and turned to the next obstacle- a branch, a few feet higher than her current perch. It was more like stepping onto a particularly tall step than anything, and was easy, though a minor burn in the legs. She'd found some smaller branches to hold onto with her hands, giving her a sturdy position. Onto the next branch, she rested against the trunk for a moment, glancing down.

That was what made her stop. The Twilight wasn't scared of heights. Except when she didn't feel secure. Now was one of those moments. She stepped back down a foot of two, and, bending her knees, sat on the first branch. From there, she slipped easily onto the ground, feeling a lot safer on solid ground. She shook her legs, getting an odd twinging feeling out of them, before crouching down. Crook had been waiting at the base of the tree patiently, now-yellow eyes watching her intently. Jenni scratched the feline's head once, before deciding to try another morphing experiment.

She took a paw, which the cat offered majestically, and pressed the top. His claws extended, giving her a good look at them. The girl had to lye on her stomach to get a close view, but stared at all sides, getting a feel for the parts. They were hard, and smooth, with a slightly white part at the bottom, that the pointy bit curved over. That was sharp, and scratch marks on a nearby tree told her the cat had recently cared for them. They were a brownish color, quite plain really, though fading lighter in some parts. She then gave a look at her own fingers. They would fit quite nice if she grew some slightly larger ones out of each tip.

Taking her left hand and staring at it, the Twilight drew on her Djed again. She used it to stretch the ends of her fingers, recreating the claws she'd just observed. She felt some pulling, but she formed the points on each, simply making one, and copying it onto each appendage, for a total of five. She wiggled her fingers around a bit, poking the ground a bit too. She could feel the strain of her djed being used, but it wasn't much, so she decided to mix it with the hair she'd used earlier. She remembered it now, and pulled at the skin at the top of her hand and fingers, creating a large swash of the stuff. Coupled with the claws, it made her hand look like an odd mix between a human's and some animal's, with fur and claws, but the right shape.

After only a few moments of this, she let it go, worried that holding it too long would leave bad consequences. She shook the appendage, normal feeling returning to it, before standing, feeling drained. She slowly began the walk back to the path, Crook following faithfully at her feet, rather than going on ahead.

Common - Nari - NPC - Writing - Reading

x

[Jenni Twilight]

x

The walk back to the path and up to the gates felt shorter than the way down, though only Syna knew why. Maybe it was because her headache had mostly cleared, she felt calmer, or... that Shinya wasn't on her mind. Or not. She began flipping through random memories, trying to remember how she recognized the man. Actually he seemed her age. All she could get was a class. Something to do with classes, lessons.

Her memory was jogged when she finally caught sight of the guard, and all the images flooded back to her. She froze in place, staring at the Shinya in surprise from where she stood. "I know you!" she exclaimed, any kind of politeness or tact lost in the amazement. "You were the kid... classes... Nari, wasn't it?" She remembered sitting next to the guy in Nari class when they were kids... though she had no clue why a Shinya had been in her Nari class. Of course, he wasn't any odd classmate. The two had struck up many a conversation, trying out their new found language skills, attempting to have conversations in the Inartan language, and failing miserably.

The guard grinned widely at her statement, the expression seeming even more familiar than before. "I was wondering when you'd notice, actually" he mentioned gleefully, his companion giving the two youths an odd look. Obviously he didn't understand the situation. On a seemingly sudden impulse, he stated "Feather," in Nari. Without missing a beat, almost instinctively, Jenni blurted "Mountain!" It had been their name for 'Wind Reach', and an inside between them and their class. It was a long story how the name came around- one she couldn't quite remember, and was too lengthy to recount. On cue, both of them burst into laughter, the Twilight doubling over.

Randomly, she tried to remember the last time she'd seriously laughed. It took the Morpher a few moments, her mouth turning into a frown and expression serious. And, being honest with herself, she gave up. She didn't know. She rarely laughed... maybe it was her family, something with her being anti-social, or locked up with her books. She hadn't really had a reason to for a long time... the last time she was certain of was the early years of her classes- before the Twilights had risen far above the rest of Lhavit, isolating her from every one she knew. She hadn't had any true friends since then, other than Crook. He was more of a companion than a friend though, but the cat probably thought of her as his slave.

After understanding this abrupt fact, Jenni got an odd sense of depression. She needed to do a little more with her life other than sit in books... but they were interesting! She learned things! A mental argument breaking out, she shook her head, attempting to clear her thoughts. "I'm really sorry... I'd like to have talked but... I.. I... I've got to go..." Without another word, she dashed off into the city, Crook trailing behind. Maybe she'd deal with this at home. She didn't want to see the Shinya's disappointed face, which she knew would come.

However, inside, she just wanted to bottle it up. How could laughing bring up so much? She didn't understand. Maybe it was safer staying in the past, looking at history. The future was too... uncertain. The Twilight hadn't felt like this in... ages. She'd just been... blank, really. Not many emotions. Scowling, she continued at a slow jog, Crook attempting to catch up desperately. Though she desperately wanted to get away from the confusion, her legs and lungs were burning from the effort. She was not a good runner. The girl slowed, hunched over, taking huge breaths as she continued to walk through the streets. She had a stitch in her side, almost bringing tears into her eyes. A headache, laughing, confusion, and now this. Maybe this wasn't turning out to be such a good day after all. It was just getting... messy, was the only word she could think of the describe it. All over the place. Confusing. She scowled even deeper, and continued the way back, trying to ignore the pain in her side.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

x

[Elysium]

Jenni Twilight

Experience
Morphing +3
Climbing +1
Observation +2
Socialization +1
Rhetoric +1

Lore
Crook, the Cat
How to Nurse a Hangover
Lhavit: The Misty Peaks
How to Climb a Tree
Morphing: Studying a Feature
Morphing: Replicating a Feature
The Shinya From Nari Class

Notes
First of all, I'm using this template in honor of Crook. Second of all, good work! I have a few notes for you on Morphing. Don't think of it as expending energy. Think of your djed as a rubber band. Rather than using it, you're stretching it, therefore overgiving in Morphing is a lot different than other magical disciplines. Rather than using up too much of yourself, your djed will actually forget its original shape - for example, if Jenni were to try and maintain that cat fur for too long, she might get stuck with it permanently! (Or at least for awhile.) That rubber band loses elasticity the more you stretch it out. Make sense?