RP:A Game On The Beach

Synopsis: Zahrani takes some time to referee a football/soccer game that some feline children play on the beach. Dezmara encounters them, and the two eventually join the game and spend some time getting to know each other afterwards.

Sandy Beach

Zahrani runs along the beach, the woman keeping pace with around half a dozen feline children as they kicked a round ball from one end of the shore to the other. Her athletic physique is currently being shown off by a simple 2-piece set. A short skirt flows around her waist, and a single rectangular piece of indigo acts as her top, shaped like a figure-8 that covers her front with its intersection and wraps around her back, secured at the back of her neck. The design is simple, yet the fabric has an elegant geometric pattern to it. Rani is currently acting as a referee/chaperone for the 6 children, who range in ages from 7-14. Her voice is a mid-tenor, with a slight accent to it that can be heard when she makes calls on their game, and when she encourages them to have fun. Her cyan eyes contrast sharply with her dark-brown skin, and the only things currently feline in appearance are a black tail that smoothly swishes behind her, plus tufts of black fur on her pointed ears.

Dezmara in her wanderings found herself treading through Centril, she had not walked these streets in some time, having spent most of her time wandering about the western reaches of the lands. When road gave way to sand she lost her boots, loving the feel of the sand against her bare feet. As she moved towards the warmer climate of the beaches she changed from her normal heavy leather vest to a bodice that was little more than a leather bra, clasped in the front with a golden buckle, and a simple shorter skirt that comes just to the top of her knees, split up either side halfway up her thighs. Her hair is a mane of thick curls that stretch past her shoulders, black at the roots and snow white at the tips, running the entire range of grayscale in-between. From her forehead a pair of raven black horns extend up and then back along her head to turn up at the tips to again point up. These locks framed her heart shaped face nicely, accented with the smooth angles given to her by her elven half. Eyes wider than most were the color of freshly hewn amethyst. A line of soft black scales runs along her jawline, tracing up to her subtly pointed ears to disappear in her thick mane. Her skin was a dark caramel color, blending well with hints of black scales along her forearms and across her shoulders. She stood six foot seven, her form athletic but having a hint of an hourglass figure. A sleek black tail traced in the sand idly, as tails tend to do, the tall draconian coming to a stop in her wandering, hands dropping to her hips as she takes in a deep breath of the refreshing sea air. Full dark lips pulling back into a soft smile, she needed a bit of time to relax from her hectic day of not really doing anything. Her eyes fall to the group at play and she smiled just a little more. Eyeing the ref, her head tilted to the side just a little as she scans the figure so effortlessly gliding over the sands; she had a soft spot for felines. Moving to get a little closer to the game, the draconian moved to sit on her knees, just outside their playing, to simply watch in silence.

Zahrani's back is turned to the draconian that has arrived to spectate, though her keen sense of smell alerts her to the visitor. As the feline runs down the 'field' alongside the kids, her cyan eyes turn for a couple seconds to look at Dezmara. The circular pupils dilate briefly, the paladin offering a grin and a wave to the other woman as she runs by. If Dezmara is sensitive to such things, she would detect an aura of divine warmth and grace coming from the androgynous cat-woman. Just as soon as she gazes upon the visitor, Rani's eyes are back on the game, keeping an eye out for any out-of-bounds plays or goals. After the next attempt at a goal, she calls a time-out for the children to take a break, before turning back to Dezmara and jogging up to her. Her skin shimmers slightly from perspiration; she'd been jogging back and forth for quite some time. In her slight feline accent, Zahrani greets Dezmara in the common tongue, "I hope you are enjoying the beach as much as we are."

Dezmara does not disrupt the game at all, simply enjoying the show that the youngsters are putting on, though her attention keeps shifting between the children and the feline; her attention was more on the woman than not. She did feel that little tingle of divine power as she hustled past. Little would be felt from the draconian though, her magics limited to enchanting a medium with arcane magics. As the break was called and the feline jogged up, she would be able to see Dezmara’s various piercings: three rings up each pointed earlobe, a ring piercing in her right eyebrow, and a stud piercing just below her plump lower lip. All the piercings were cast in gold, her own little dragon addiction to precious metal on mild display. There was no attempt to hide those amethyst eyes scanning the length and width of the feline now before her. Her gaze finally settling on the feline’s cyan gaze, those dark lips creasing in to a soft smile. “Oh very much so; I do love the scent of the sea, and the view that it provides.” Her voice is soft and each word is spoken in a voice quite melodic. No accent would give any hints to the draconian’s origins. Hands fold lightly in her lap as her tail slides around her hip, twitching lightly as if silently judging its furry counterpart. “Is one of the little ones yours?” her eyes peeling form the feline to the group of little ones not so far away.

Zahrani only has a couple piercings; a single ring on her left ear, and another ring on the left side of her nose. Cyan eyes also scan the draconian's form, before alighting back on Dezmara's face. With a smile and a swish of her tail, she shakes her head at the woman's question, "I'm not a birthmother to any cubs. I just keep them entertained while their mothers are busy in the colony. I have accepted one of them as an apprentice though..." She turns back to the small group as they sit and talk, eyes upon one 11-year-old lass with tiger stripes. The child has a calm demeanor and yellow eyes, and she's built like an 11-year-old version of Zahrani. Turning back to the draconian, the panther adds, "She takes herself very seriously, but she'll mellow out as she gets older." A pause, then the panther asks, "My name is Zahrani, by the way. What is yours?"

Dezmara lets her eyes wander to the group as Zahrani talks of her ward. Picking out the young woman the draconian nodded; youth does come with lots of unchecked energy, that with age and knowledge is tempered. Slowly the draconian stood, drawing herself up to her full six foot seven height and then dipped into a slight bow with the greeting. “I am called Dezmara. Zahrani, that is a beautiful name. Fits you well.” Looking back to the group of children she smiled, “Have you chosen not to have kits or have you just not picked the right mate? Males can be a little troublesome sometimes.” Her arms idly cross under her bust, her weight shifting from one foot to another. “And for what I am… the choice for that was made for me at my birth.” She casts a playful wink; it would be heartbreaking for some to never have the chance to raise a little version of them, but the draconian had come to terms with that long ago.

Zahrani looks up at Dezmara as she stands. The feline is just shy of 6 feet, but she's built like someone who could scale a wall with full plate armor. Crossing her own arms, the panther shrugs and says, "I'm busy enough with my duties throughout Lithrydel, and my time spent helping the colony I grew up in here in Cenril." With a grin, she adds, "And it's not always men who attract my interest." Meanwhile, the children seem to be done with their break. A young boy with cheetah markings runs up to them, asking Dezmara, "Wanna play with us? We need even teams for this game, so you and Rani could each be on a team."

Dezmara gave a sly little smile as Zahrani speaks, “After my own heart then.” A soft giggle accompanying the words. But as the kids returned and the question was made, she gave a slight shrug, unlacing her arms and starting to stretch them out. “I could play a little game.” Shooting a glance to the stunning feline, “want to play with me?” before she could answer the tall draconian lopes towards the playing area. Her strides easy and measured, for someone so tall she moved fluidly. Putting her thick mane back as she jogged over she would tie the curls back into a thick pony tail, giving her head a twist to test the tie she grinned at the children as she came to them. “Who do I get to eat first?” she teased, one of her favorite teases helped by the horns, she could be a hungry dragon after all. Rolling the ball with her foot and giving it a few test kicks, juggling it from one foot to the other to get a feel for the ball, the last thing she wanted to do was accidently kick the ball into the ocean.

Zahrani watches as the draconian begins to stretch and head out onto the field, offering a soft laugh as a response to her question. She then says to the others, "Who wants to be a goalie? Dezmara and I will be out on the field." One of the older kids on each team steps up to guard their respective goal. The paladin jogs up to face the taller woman, a grin on her face as she gently springs from foot to foot, "You can try eating me, but I'm not an easy meal." With deft footwork, she catches the ball while it's still in the air, guiding it to one of Dezmara's younger teammates, a 7-year-old lass with cheetah spots, "Almitra! You get to kick first." The child looks up with big brown eyes at the draconian, offering a small grin before running full-tilt and kicking the ball towards the opposing goal. Her brother D'zaeed is on the other team, and he stops the ball with his chest and begins to kick it towards the goal. His counterpart on the other team tries to block and look for a chance to steal the ball. It's like watching an elaborate dance. Rani moves towards the other goal, looking for an opening and assuming Dezmara will be the one blocking her.

Dezmara smiles wide at the verbal tease from the feline; oh, she likes this one. Not even surprised as the ball is stolen from her in mid juggle and just like that the game was on. She gave a wink to the cheetah spotted young one before back-stepping quickly to get in a better position to block Zahrani, sliding to be just in front of the hip of the shorter woman. As the ball was sent spinning low towards the pair Dezmara’s longer leg shoots out, the ball striking her ankle and sending it up. But the moment the quick moving ball was level her head snapped forward, sending the ball spinning to one of her teammates towards the far corner, the young boy jumping up to kick the ball aiming for the corner of the goal. As Dezmara came down, she was making a conscious attempt not to land on Zahrani; at least not too hard.

Zahrani watches as Dezmara becomes temporarily airborne, the feline taking her chance to roll underneath and on the other side of the draconian. Her team's goalie successfully catches the ball, surveying the field and rolling it towards the paladin. Rani catches the ball with one foot, keeping the ball on the ground as she guides it towards the other goal. The children were clearly having a lot more fun with the two additional people. Their respective tactics were actually beginning to diverge as well upon seeing what Dezmara can do. Rani's team would likely try to keep the ball on the ground, while Dezmara's team would be more comfortable with longer shots and more air.

Dezmara twisted in the air as the feline slipped past her; landing lightly on her feet, the draconian dashed after Zahrani. As she makes her run with the ball, Dezmara would be there sliding in between the other woman and the goal, a wide smile of sheer delight on her face. When was the last time she played a game such as this? Feet moving quickly to keep her infront of the feline trying not to give her out, giving ground freely until she didn’t, a long leg shot out to tackle the ball away from Zahrani; risking getting tangled with the feline paid off as the ball was kicked up and away, back towards the other goal and to a young girl that had broken her own guard to make a strong shot towards the goal; again, blocked by that annoyingly skilled goalie. Giggling with abandonment, she untangled from the feline. Her tail snapping at Zahrani’s hip playfully. “You teach them to play?” positioning herself before the feline to intercept any passes that will come.

Zahrani finds herself landing right on Dezmara as the draconian trips her up, the ball rolling away for others to claim. The feline instinctively wraps her arms around the woman's waist, making an "Oof!" sound as the two fall into the sand. She laughs in return as they de-tangle and return to their feet, before responding, "A little, but they practice on their own a lot." The paladin is beginning to get her second wind, as it were. She nearly jumps over the draconian as the ball approaches once more, swinging around the taller defender's hips like a dance partner, before kicking the ball to another team mate. The ball bounces off the goal frame, but another of Rani's teammates is ready for it, and the lad manages to get it in. To Dezmara, Zahrani says, "We're actually tied now, with two points each."

Dezmara was not surprised at all with how nimble and nubile her opponent was, partially from her breed; felines are always more dextrous, but this one was more so, implying a great deal of training and skill went into sculpting the individual before her. A fleeting thought about how she may actually dance while in that setting flittered into the head of the draconian, but as they scored she snapped back into the now. Narrowing her eyes playfully at the feline, “A tie? I prefer to come out on top.” Though she has to still keep herself in check. If she allowed her draconian strength to come out too much in this game, she may seriously hurt one of the children, if not the paladin herself. Swaying her hips from side to side, she hiked her skirt up just a little to allow a bit more ease of movement. The ball was sent back into play and the draconian scooped it up again. Popping it up, she bounced it off her chest and set the ball in a long high arch. Dropping low, she slipped around the hips of Zahrani, again her tail giving her a little brush in passing, maybe just to throw her off a little, maybe just on accident; tails can be picky like that. The soft sand kicked up a little as powerful muscles pumped, the draconian covering a great distance almost instantly. Again she goes up to intercept the ball; snapping her head to the side, she ricochets the ball to a waiting male. Up he goes, snapping his body around to connect with a strong sweeping kick, sending the ball hurdling with great force towards the goal.

Zahrani isn't about to get thrown off, the panther doing her best to keep pace with the draconian. She was only a few inches behind Dezmara before the ball gets send towards another teammate, who manages to send it kick it towards the goal. As it spins, the aerodynamics of the ball provide a curved trajectory, and Rani's goalie is unable to catch it before it sails past her. All of the children cheer at the goal. "3-2!", the paladin pants. As they take a minute to catch their breath, another feline woman wearing a headscarf approaches, speaking in a melodic feline-specific tongue, "~Kids! Your fathers are home from fishing. It's time to get ready for dinner.~" Zahrani turns to her new draconic acquaintance, offering a grin and brush of her own tail, "Thanks to 'curfew,' it looks like you came out on top after all." The children would follow the other feline woman home, Almitra trying to keep the ball balanced on her head as she walks. Rani stays behind on the beach, letting her heartrate return to normal and stretching her arms and legs.

Dezmara grins in triumph as her team had won, her hands falling to her hips as the second caretaker showed up to take the children back to the colony. Letting her eyes close lightly, her head fell back to face the sky, that wide smile seeming to be stuck on those full lips. Sweat glistened off her body and ran rivulets down her back, tracing along her scaled spine. “Like I said.” Her words between swallows of air. “On top.” Punctuated with a hearty chuckle. Eyes opening slowly she looked to the ocean and heaved a soft sigh. “A swim would be nice but I didn’t bring a suit.” Not that that little bit would normally stop her, she was not one to typically strip down with people she just met, under normal circumstances that is. “I assume you have to run home as well?” a bit of sadness in her voice with the question; she was quite enjoying the felines company.

Zahrani sighs, looking out at the ocean as she stretches. She adjusts her own swimwear, before turning back to face Dezmara once more. Her cyan eyes look into the amethyst hues of the draconian, the panther detecting the slight sadness. The feline gently bites one side of her lower lip, before offering a soft smile and saying, "I don't have to leave right now..." The sun begins to set behind the buildings, casting a shadow of one onto the beach. The panther walks over to it, setting down a couple beach towels from her satchel and sitting on top of one. She pats the other, offering a spot for the draconic woman to join her.

Dezmara nodded to the other as she sets out the towels. The draconian happily taking the offered towel, sitting atop it first; settling in, she then laid back slowly. One hand slides behind her head and she relaxes completely, more so than she had with someone she had just met. But a game tends to lower guards better than a good conversation. Her head angles to look to the feline in silence for a few moments. “Thank you for letting me join your game. It was very enjoyable.” Her free hand comes to rest on her toned stomach, picking at a thin golden chain she wore around her waist. “With the way you move, and the way you… feel. You must be a paladin. You’re a little to limber too be a priestess. Unless you’re from that chapel in that northern city.” A soft little giggle at her own little joke.

Zahrani lays down, supporting her head with one of her hands and turning to her side to face Dezmara. She offers a grin, "Technically I'm from ~a~ chapel in Larket, but it's the Chapel of Cyris. And you are correct; I am a paladin. I heal and I fight, but I also seek to empower others towards their own freedom and agency, especially those who want that, but don't have it." The feline's tail idly moves up and down on the towel, her eyes moving across the draconian's form, from her toned abdominals to her hips, then back to her plump lips and scaled jawline, "So how about you? You're pretty fit as well. Are you a blade-for-hire, or a knight?"

Dezmara could feel the others eyes over her, inspecting her; she really didn’t mind it at all. Slowly, she rolled up onto her side to face the feline as she faced her. Her arm bending slightly so she could rest on the joint more comfortably. “I have been many things; warror, knight, ranger, scout. And many more, when I found my own freedom I wanted to find myself, never really settling on any one thing for a length of time. Though the ranger training has provided me with many practical skills. Minor healing, some little weapon enchantments, little things that can either prevent a conflict or hopefully end one before it gets too far out of hand.” Her tail slides up and rests along her shapely leg, almost as if pondering its next move. “Thankfully my time here so far has been peaceful, though a very large dragon did surprise me. He was, though, a lot friendlier than his imposing size would suggest.” The dragon Scandal being the first person to actually talk to her, even if she was the one who initiated that little conversation. “Do you wear the full plate of a typical paladin?” Picturing her move in the armor made the draconian smile sweetly. “Your foes must fear you, the way you must move in that armor.”

Zahrani quietly listens to Dezmara rattle off all of the things she's been in her lifetime. She smiles in return, "You sound very talented. With the current rat plague, your skills will come in handy. Our colony has done well staying clear of the plague; it helps that the rats avoid us, even while they're sick." They also have their own contingencies in place whenever sickness spreads through Cenril. At the mention of a large dragon, her eyes widen and she responds, "If he was a red and black dragon, I think I know who you're talking about. He's a bit odd, but his heart's in the right place." The panther does her best not to blush as the draconian comments on her ability to move, simply saying, "I will sometimes wear full plate, if the need arises." She glances out at the sea, shifting her weight a bit so her elbow has some time to rest.

Dezmara stretched, letting her neck roll just a little, “He is a strange dragon, but he is very lovely. His home is a little insane, but in a way it suits him.” When the other started talking of the rat issue, she gave a soft sigh “I have been doing what I can to get rid of as many as I can, as safely as I can. But there seems to be no end to the damned things.” She had lost track of how many of the rodents she had burned. But assisting the feline in keeping her home safe would give her a nice feeling of satisfaction. “it seems that most places are just treating them as an annoyance, even as the bodies pile. It’s as if people have never seen a plague before.” Again she pictures the feline in a suit of fine plate armor and could only giggle. “I typically wear an armored vest under my clothes to protect my vitals, I enjoy living and I don’t really mind a scar here or there.” Though from her current spot the feline wouldn’t be able to see, and those didn’t come from any fight; they were from something much worse.

Zahrani nods in agreement regarding the populace's readiness for plagues, "A lot of them haven't. But we're careful to pass on our stories of old plagues and how to keep them at bay. We're good at weathering the storm, you might say." She looks from the ocean then back at Dezmara, sitting in an upright position and asking coyly, "What's so funny?" Should the draconian more closely examine the woman's back, she might notice the subtle remains of scars. Some look like lash-marks; while another looks to be a bite-mark of some kind. Fortunately, she had found a healer to deal with the wounds and leave minimal damage behind. They look like little more than patterns of slightly lighter skin.

Dezmara had noticed those old markings; the thing with scars is they hold their own stories that were for the bearer to tell, if they wish. Drawing herself up to a more sitting up position, she narrowed her eyes playfully. “That is for me to know and you to maybe get out of me.” She clicks her jaws together, her teeth making a loud clacking sound. Was it a threat or a promise? Now shifting to rest back on her elbows, her eyes tearing away from the feline to look back out at the waves lapping at the beach. “I feel I made a good decision coming to the beach today.” Casting a sidelong glance at her companion. “Even if I ran into one of my weaknesses.”

Zahrani chuckles softly at the draconian, before saying, "Well, I'm glad you decided to come here. The children had fun...as did I." The paladin looks up at the woman's thick curly hair, admiring the gradient and the horns that complement it, before saying with a grin, "Call me biased, but I don't think being a cat-person is a weakness." The feline lays down on her back, moving a lock of braided ebony hair from her face before using her hands as a pillow for the back of her head.

Dezmara grins and gives a slight shake of her head, the act causing her pent up curls to bounce a little. “I never said it was a weakness to you; it’s one of my own. I have a soft spot for felines. I think they are simply beautiful, I find myself typically lacking in self-control in their presence.” She then lies back fully interlocking her fingers behind her head and letting her eyes flutter closed. “But you are bias.” She fights back the chuckle that wells up with that.

Zahrani blushes slightly at Dezmara's words, scooting down a bit so their elbows wouldn't bump into each other. She gently bites at her lower lip, looking back at the draconian and saying, "That's...brave of you to say to someone you just met.I wish everyone thought the same thing." There were those in the city, and throughout Hollow, who saw felines with the same content as mongrels and vermin. The panther inhales the scent of the ocean, before exhaling and turning towards her new friend, "Well, for what it's worth, I think you're beautiful too."

Dezmara nodded her head lightly, conceding the point that her admission was a rather bold one, but that is just who she was. Not one for half-truths or verbal dances. She chose to speak her mind and let those who didn’t like it either leave or fight her in an attempt to change her mind; she has yet to change her mind. “Thank you very much, I appreciate your words. And sadly it does take bravery to speak your heart and mind. Most lives are to short to play games with people.” Most people see the draconian as a mongrel as well; not as good as a pure blooded dragon and less than whatever her other parentage was. She was seen, more often than not, as less than the sum of her parts. Typically she laughed at those type of people, shortly after showing them the error of their ways.

Zahrani sits back up again, turning to look down at the lovely draconian. Her eyes meet Dezmara's own amethyst hues, before eliciting a warm smile. The breeze from the sea plays with her braids, the locks dancing like a beaded curtain in the wind. After what seems like the longest moment in time, she says softly, "I should probably head back soon..." She not super eager to leave her new friend, so she adds, "...if you want, you can walk with me back to our enclave."

Dezmara figured she was already pushing her luck keeping the feline to herself for so long, so she nodded slowly, though she was lamenting the end of their conversation. But reluctantly she would nod in agreement and pull herself up, to turn and offer a hand to help up the Zahrani. "I would love to be your escort."

Zahrani grins, accepting Dezmara's hand and getting to her feet swiftly. She then turns to retrieve the beach towels, shaking the sand off them and folding them back into her satchel. She begins walking, before looking up at the draconian with a wry smile, "Just so you know: if you meet our colony Matriarch, our 'Grandmother' as she's called, she'll either try to feed you or put you to work. Or both."

Dezmara watched the feline as she started to gather her things and ready for the trip back to the colony. The warning was met with a soft chuckle, “I will never turn down food, and if I have to do a little work for the betterment of a feline colony, that would be work I would happily do.” She was genuine with that as she had taken such a liking to both the children she had played with and their ward. “Do you need to me carry anything? Your bag? You?” she held her arms out with a little half smile, she was only half teasing, but she would happily carry the feline anywhere.

Zahrani can't not smile at Dezmara. Part of her certainly wouldn't mind being carried places by the draconian. Alas, the panther sighs and says, "You are sweet. I don't need to be carried now, but if you want, you can hold my hand while I take us there." The panther holds out her hand, and should the taller woman accept, she would enclose her fingers around Dezmara's. Her hands are strong, warm, and also gentle when they need to be.

Dezmara’s hand was much like Zahrani’s; tough yet soft, a hand that knows how to hold a weapon and use it, but also one that knows how to be tender. Her fingers interlock with the felines and the draconian could only smile and nod. “Lead the way then; It would be nice to see this colony of your fellows.” She would allow Rani to lead her anywhere she wished; the draconian would happily follow.