RP:Errands and Chitchat
Summary: While on an item-fetching quest for the Mage's Guild, newly appointed apprentice Karasu runs into Natianara in the Kelay-Sage forest. Rather, Natianara runs into Karasu and has to save her from a deadly threat: dogs!
Leafy Lodgings
Hidden walkways all intersect here, moving between thick tree trunks and under leafy blankets. This nook is well secluded and quiet, save for the serene cries of nature; the call of some songbird methodically expels from the boughs above, thickly plastered with fronds and lichen. The air here is moist and warm, perfection for anything or anyone who simply wants to wait around. Many makeshift beds have been erected around, probably by past travelers. Some are made of piles of leaves and grass, while others are of sanded sticks, padded with moss. Many lay just before the only entrances and exits to this exclusive glade, one to the north and one to the west.
"This doesn't seem very heroic." Karasu states to herself as she squints at a description of a herb requested by her instructor. It's very rare, and very potent, so be careful not to touch it with your bare hands. Her elder's words replay in her head as the apprentice crawls along the trees branches with practiced dexterity. Her brass armor and swords lay discarded at the base of one tree, leaving her in just her charcoal long-sleeve and tights. A mulberry tail with black leopard speckles swishes from side to side in annoyance as she peers carefully over the tops of branches. "Pale green.... with one white spot on top..." She murmurs. The sight of a curious looking mushroom grabs her attention and she perks up immediately. "There-- oh, no wait--!" Overly enthusiastic as always, the feline fails to check the strength of the next branch before it completely gives way beneath her. With a startled yowl, Karasu hangs onto the underside of a branch with her claws, tail completely poofed out. As it so happens, this unfortunate series also takes place in the one area of the Sage forest where the wild dogs live. The pack excitedly runs underneath her and begins barking and jumping at her. "NO, shoo!" Karasu hisses at the creatures as she clings to the branch. As the extremely well-trained spellblade argues with the animals, she fails to notice the presence of another person nearby.
Natianara is having a peaceful walk through the forest, her eyes close as she tips her head back and inhales the scent that only untouched land seems to emit. A gentle breeze ruffles the foliage and her long locks swish over her shoulders, baring her fair face to the sunlight that filters through the treetops like a beacon of hope. The young woman had come here to clear her head, as nature had a certain way of resetting ones thoughts, and that was much needed since she arrived in the lands. Last night was the opening ceremony in Larket, her first ball, and she had broken a stranger’s nose, offended a stranger, and left her date’s side too many times to count over misunderstandings. Fitting in didn’t come so easily to Nat, and she sighs heavily, opening her periwinkle hues in the nick of time, as a branch cracks overhead and a polka-dot tail angrily wags from side to side. “What the heck?!” Rather than turn in the opposite direction and try to find another serene environment, the shapeshifter nears the amusing debacle that the feline finds herself in, arriving at the tree the same moment that a pack of wild dogs does, complete with yipping, howling, and jumping upon the trunk, in an effort to throw the feline onto the ground. One of the dogs is foaming at the mouth, his eyes bloodshot, and he weighs well over a hundred pounds. If Karasu were to plummet, she would surely suffer the consequences of those powerful jaws. Natianara hesitates, for a mere moment, before she growls at the pack of dogs, her eyes glued upon their alpha. A game of telepathy follows, and the pack slowly backs away from the tree, their barks turning into soft whimpers, and the beastly leader of the pack begins to wag his tail, as though Nat were naught but an old friend. “Go away now… Leave this place, darlings…” The canines obey the woman, and it’s obvious she’s been blessed with some sort of canine empathy, based on the blood of the wolf that runs through her veins. As the dogs prance away, she clears her throat and yells, glancing up at Karasu, “It’s safe to come down, now!”
Karasu wraps her arms to secure herself on the branch, watching with wide eyes as the seemingly human woman growls at the rabid thing. She shifts her body weight just a smidgen so she can see why the dogs have stopped barking, and to her surprise, they retreat! "Thank Xalious." A sigh of relief before she tries to hook her legs back around the branch. At the coaxing of the human, she looks down curiously, double checking to make sure her natural enemies are not still nearby. Her ear swivels one way, then the other. Rabbits. A lot of bugs. No sign of approaching paws. "Oh, um. Okay." Practiced claws release the tree, and she turns in mid-air to face downwards so she can land on her splayed out fingers and toes with little more than a soft grunt. All divine magic above, she's without armor. Despite being completely clothed, the lack of weight makes her feel uncomfortably vulnerable, and she indicates so by crossing her arms over her stomach to grip at her sides. Whether her face is flushed from exertion or embarrassment is yet to be seen. "Thank you, kind citizen." She musters in her most professional voice. Karasu's hazel eyes meets her own, and the thin black whiskers jutting out of her humanoid nose twitch with recognition. The pretense of being on official duty is gone and her shoulders relax. "Didn't I meet you at the ball last night? Nat, right? What are you doing all the way out here?"
Natianara finds her own cheeks flooding with pink as she’s recognized from the previous night, and she takes a step back, mistaking Karasu for Aira. They both had tails and furry ears, though one was awkwardly polite, and the other was a feral beast that had tried to bring harm to her date. Upon the feline getting her name correct, Nat settles down and offers a smile, “I’m please that it’s –you- I rescued and not another…” A blonde with a newly broken nose, perhaps? “Are you alright? I, um, scared off those mangy mutts for you!” There’s something not quite ‘human’ about the witch, though one can never put their finger on it, and only those that know the truth can say she’s a half elf, minus the freakish ears. “Kara… Right?” Nat is terrible with names, and referred to the feline as ‘Ketchup’ only hours ago, though Kyori had righted the witch. “I have been renting a room at the tavern in Kelay… I was just going for a walk to clear my head. Last night was rather overwhelming for me… I don’t do too well in crowds.” There’s a pause, before Nat clears her throat and turns the question on Karasu, “What brings you all the way out here? I hope you weren’t training those dogs and I interfered?”
The spellblade has to restrain herself from laughing at the idea of her trying to train dogs. Instead, her thin lips curl up at each end, revealing elongated canines. "Absolutely not. Dogs and I do not get along." She says, completely oblivious to the lycan blood running through Natianara. The feeling of unfamiliarity as to Nat's race is a feeling the half-feline saw plenty in her schooling. Somewhere in the world, a domesticated russet wolf sneezes. "Yeah, I know how that feels. I'm not exactly built for frilly dress events, so I felt all out of sorts too." She opens her mouth to ask about the date when the half-elf speaks up. Oh! Karasu digs into her pockets until a piece of parchment is procured. "I'm trying to find an herb that looks like a mushroom, but is not one. My Magister Templi sent me out here to get it, and it supposedly only grows around this area of the Sage Forest." On the paper is a map of Kelay-Sage, with their location circled. Underneath is a sketch of what appears to be a mushroom growing on the underside of a tree branch. "I mean, I should be training for the duels, but as the future world's greatest spellblade--" Does the world's greatest usually have twigs in her hair and get spooked by wild dogs? "--my apprentice duties must come first!"
Natianara winks at Karasu, biting back a giggle as she replies, “Cats rule and dogs drool, right?!” Of course, the fact that her father is a lycan chimes like a bell in the back of her mind, but she dismisses the minor insult. It wasn’t as if the spellblade knew about her ancestry! Plus, Nat didn’t possess a werewolf form; she was merely a shapeshifter, courtesy of her late mother’s empathetic abilities that subdued the feral nature of a lycan. It’s all rather scientific and the young woman doesn’t understand what she is, though she’s well on the path to discovering –who- she wishes to be! “The dress was the easiest part of the night for me… The heels? An entirely different story! I’m grateful that I didn’t have to dance, because I have no idea how to even do that, let alone in a room full of strangers!” She chuckles, and takes a step nearer to Karasu, her gaze drawn to the map that the other opens and they take a moment to study the details. All the trees looked identical; there were a few circles, and the drawing of the mushroom peers back at the half elf, having her quirk a brow. “Well… Maybe I can help you find this non-mushroom ingredient? I was just taking a walk… I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it to the north, so maybe we should head deeper into southern Sage Forest?” Without waiting for an answer, the witch walks along beside Karasu, pausing here and there to pore over the map some more and check their surroundings. They were in the general vicinity of the herb, though they had yet to rest their eyes upon it as it was so easy to get turned around in the forest. The pack of dogs can be heard barking in the distance, as they likely scared a raccoon up a tree, though Nat offers a reassuring smile to the feline. She was safe, as long as the dog whispered was at her side. “Yes, I’ve heard about the duels!” Uncle Scandal was to be fighting in the tournament, and she secretly hopes he will win… With that much gold, he could buy her something pretty! Little does Nat know that she’s traversing the forest with his opponent! “Apprentice? Who is your Magister Templi? I wonder if I’ve met them… And I’m sure you will do well in your studies.” A gentle shrug of her shoulders is given, as she inspects the base of a tree, “I’ve been thinking about studying under someone myself… In self-defense.”
Karasu lets out a giggle. "Now you're just flattering me. Elders always said felines were supposed to be the 'superior race' or something, but I think dragons have us beat by a mile. I'd hate to fight one of those!" Little does she know. "Have you ever studied martial arts? The footwork involved is a lot like dancing, at least from what I've observed." She pauses. "I can dance in theory, okay? That's what I'm getting at." She muses, using her claws to hoist herself up one of the trees to inspect the junctions where the branches meet the base. "Ooh, sorry, little guy!" The feline jumps down as a a raccoon pokes its head out to hiss. The half-feline lands without even having to look down to measure the distance, and with little more than a small 'umph'. "I study under Magister Dyraxdiin. He's... really cool." Her cheeks color slightly when she says so. "He's the only one who took a chance on me, so I have to do my very best. Do you do any arcane magic? You could come to the guild too! Though, if you want to learn self-defense, you'd be better off going to the Academy of Aramoth up in Frostmaw, they're more focused on physical combat." Usually not talkative, the anxious feline quickly becomes relaxed around the half-elf.
It’s Natianara’s turn to flush, though it’s not from the mention of Dyraxdiin like in Karasu’s case, it’s because she’s a witch that doesn’t possess any magic. “Oh, um, no, sadly… I can’t use any magic. I’m jealous, really, of those that can command the elements or think up a spell that is guaranteed to reach fruition!” Not that the witch was completely helpless, sometimes the universe worked in her favor, plus she could scry and read palms and tarot cards. She merely lacked any defensive abilities and arcane magic was a lost cause. “I don’t have many useful skills.” A careless shrug is given, as she tries not to dwell on the matter, eager to distract herself with admiring the agility of her newfound friend. “You can dance?! You must teach me! I have a relative that used to be an instructor in Schezerade, but she’s not around anymore, and I fear that I have two left feet! It’s a good thing that Kyori and I didn’t get a chance to dance at the ball…” Would she ever bump into the handsome man again? Were they supposed to go to another ball together, and give it another shot? Nat sincerely hopes so, and her cheeks darken slightly, so she changes the subject, “So… Master Dyraxdiin? He sounds like a nice man! And he has you finding this herb as a task for your Guild?” She pauses, perplexed, “What will you do with the herb once you find it? Brew a potion?” The invitation to join the Mage’s Guild is met with a look of longing, though Nat isn’t quite ready to form a bond with a bunch of strangers. She was a bit of an outcast; rarely forming friendships with anyone, save for some stray dogs or the occasional barmaid. Karasu is someone she finds herself warming up to the longer they talk, and she nods, “Alright, I will check out the Academy up in Frostmaw… But, I think you should enroll in a class or two with me. It will be fun!” Plus, she was helping her locate the mushroom-like herb, so it was a fair trade.
There is no judgement from the feline at the mention of Nat's lack of magical abilities, only a solemn shake of her head. "You don't need to know magic to be useful." Is the only remark made. When she asks if Karasu can dance, her serious demeanor quickly bounces back to reveal a flustered teen. "In theory, that doesn't mean I definitely can, so don't hold me to that! But um... the Celestial Celebration is coming up next month, you could always get some practice in before then. I can show you what I know... theoretically." She adds that last word while she holds her clawed index finger up. "Oh, supposedly, this flower-mushroom thing retains concentrated mana while it grows, so we give it to students who overexert themselves. Supposedly, Magister Daath hates having to give it out and would rather the kids use the depletion as a lesson not to take magic for granted. Never talked to him, but he seems tough." At the mention of taking a class together, Karasu has to mentally compose herself. I'm actually going to take a class with someone else, like, someone my age, and we go together and hang out and take the class together like real friends dearest Sven, Hind, and Lore, bless you bless you bless you! She clears her throat. "That sounds fun."
Natianara continues to scour the area for this rare herb, her hues scanning ever tree, bush, animal, and stone that they pass. All the while, she’s enjoying the company of Karasu, a cheerful smile on her face as the offer of taking a class together is accepted. “I can’t wait! It will be a blast.” Did this just solidify the fact that they were actual friends?! Nat never had one, up until now, but it brings such joy to her, that she hopes this feeling won’t end. They were the same age, both bore the innocence of a young woman, and the social awkwardness was a trait they both were working on. The witch is trying not to freak out over the fact that she made a friend, despite her heart rattling inside her chest and the blush that takes over her cheeks, so she hurriedly changes the subject as her eyes land upon the object Karasu and the Mage’s Guild seeks. “Over there!” She points to the base of a tree, where a trio of this herb grows, the sunlight filtering through the treetops and lighting the area like a beacon. “Yay!” Nat extends a hand and gently grabs Kara’s wrist, tugging the would-be dancer over towards the herb, where she stands at her side and watches her pluck it from the earth. “Did you say there’s a Celestial Celebration? Ooh, I hope this ball isn’t anything like the last one! I’m going to wear black, in case that wretched fox woman is there, as I don’t want to stain another dress.” She pauses, thinking of all the fashion possibilities, “Come on, I’ll walk you back, and we can go over all the details!” Natianara is going to her –second- ball, and she has just made her –first- friend! Wonders never cease!