RP:Happy Memories are Happy
Daisy strolls casually down the street here. For once she isn’t prancing or galloping or frolicing about. No. There is a calm to her the sea air seems to bring. A kind of happy place that throws her into a waking dream land. Especially wonderful are the bench-lined trees! So not only does she have the sea, but her forestry too. It is no wonder she frequents this little bit of Cenril. Kind of makes you forget that the rest of the place is overrun with crime and shady characters.
Iintahquohae ;; This spot in Cenril was Inky's favorite place to visit too. She could almost always be found curled up on one of the benches during the day, watching the sea in the distance. Today wasn't any different. The seamstress hugged her jacket a bit closer to herself to block out some of the chill from the coastal breeze, and aside from that she's relatively motionless and silent. She didn't want to disrupt the tranquility of the of the area.
Daisy isn’t so far off into lala-land that she doesn’t know what is going on around her. She smells it first. Fabrics. Well of course she smells fabrics! Most everyone around here wears clothes. Heck, even the kitten is wearing clothes! But this cluster of fabrics is different from the normal wear. Normal people maybe have one or two fibers in their clothes. Not this time! There are dozens of tiny fibers merging together to form a familiar scent, even if she only had a single whiff of a meeting. The kind of scent that happens when one spends oodles of time with clothy materials. There is a smile and a slow few steps towards the woman on that bench. Paws are folded at the small of her back as she bends in half so they are looking eye to eye. “Hi.”
Iintahquohae was usually far more aware of her surroundings, but there was something about watching the sea that drew her attention away from the present. When Daisy's face pops up in her field of vision, the seamstress jumps with surprise. Was that a high pitched shriek? Probably. Inks was going to pretend like it never occurred, though. Daisy's face is familiar from her encounter with Kyperion a while back, but she had an unfortunate knack for forgetting names. That kind flower cat…What was her name? After composing herself a little and attempting to stall a bit while adjusting her glasses, the seamstress eventually greets, "Hi there…Flower Girl, right? I remember you." She sits up a bit. "How's it going?"
Daisy pretends the shriek didn’t happen too. Sometimes you just do these things for other people. It helps save face and pride is not something that enjoys injury. Besides, the kitten doesn’t have any kind of herb that will heal pride. Yet. Still smiling, she takes a step back. She remembers that face and the pretty music and something her friend said. “Inks... Columbine.” An orange and yellow flower is pulled from her bag. Ten oval petals form the bulb with every other one has a long, tentacle-esque tail that curves down the stem. This flower is held out with both in a ceremoniously way. A form of greeting and peace offering. “I am Daisy.”
Iintahquohae felt relieved. At least she could commit faces to memory to some extent. It probably would've been awkward to address somebody else as Flower Girl. The flower Daisy produced leaves Inky with a wide-eyed, awestruck look on her face. It looked just like a beautiful multicolored octopus. An octoflower! She's hesitant to take it at first, for fear of accidentally crushing the petals, but it eventually finds its way to her hands and is held with the utmost care within her gloved fingers. A thumb brushes over one of the tentacle-esque tails and the petals, and Inks can't help but grin at the flower, and then at the kitten. "It's very nice to meet you, Daisy. Where did you find this one? It's beautiful."
Daisy glances briefly towards the east. Rynvale has many pretty flowers, doesn’t it? Tropical ones with bright colors and genes easily made for hybrids. “They like higher altitudes.” The feline looks back at Iintahquohae with a smiling tilt of her head as she reaches out to cup the woman’s hands with both paws. Leaning close, she whispers soft words of druidery. Did the flower just take a breath? Flowers can’t breathe. That is just ridiculous. Maybe. Is it? Oh man. Soft paws guide the woman’s hands up into her hair. Together they pin those dark locks up on one side with the stem of that flower. A happy step is taken in a backwards fashion.
Iintahquohae didn't know much about flowers aside from which ones she thought were pretty. This octoflower definitely fell into the category of 'flowers that Inky likes a lot'. She isn't quite sure what to make of Daisy's actions, but she remains still. It just breathed. Huh? What. No. That wasn't possible. Eyes squint behind her specs as she peers down at the flower briefly, and her eyes swivel upward even though she couldn't actually see the flower as it was pinned to her hair. How did Daisy do that? The most Inks could manage with flowers was to tuck them behind her ear, and even then they had a tendency to fall out of her hair. "Thank you," Iintahquohae eventually says after a little period of silence. "Did you hear something breathing besides you or me?"
Daisy doesn’t mind the silence so much. It is never really silent, is it Kitten? Oh no. The flora is a constant hum of life and gossip. ‘Did you see that Serra? Oh she just lets any ol’ thing pollinate her!’ ‘Mhmm! And did you see Peony had her petals done? You know that bloom ain’t real.’ It goes on and on, really. The kitten has learned to tune it out. “Breathing?” That smile of hers twitches as she pulls her fingers away from Iintahquohae’s curls. “Oh. Everything breathes.” Don’t be weird, kitten. She’s trying to be friendly to you. That cool sea breeze tosses her hair. “I think... we should have tea.”
Iintahquohae blinked. Everything breathes? Well then. The thought brought strange images of things that she wouldn't normally consider to be breathing, living things to mind. Maybe those mannequins in her shop breathed when she wasn't paying attention. They definitely liked to move around a lot when the seamstress wasn't looking. Before Iintahquohae got carried away with the thought, her attention snaps immediately back to Daisy at the mention of tea. This kitten was really fascinating. "I like tea. There's a shop not far from here.." She jabs a thumb behind her toward the west. "Mrs. Mallards' place. Have you ever been?" Daisy giggles a little bit as she plops her corgietush down right there in front of the bench. “Yes.” You know, kitten. It is polite to let the other person know what you’re doing. She’s just sitting there, watching you dig in your bag of forestry with no clue as to what you’re doing. It is rude, I tell you. You’re supposed to be polite! “I sell her things.” That doesn’t help anything at all. Oh well. Go on and place your little curled twig on the dirt path right there. More whispered words and that twig twists and curls into a pretty little bowl. Conveniently enough, Daisy’s teapot fits right in that bowl. Don’t judge me! Bags of convenience are convenient. That pot is set in the bowl and filled with water. Fire kitten. You need fire. She nods and lights the bowl on fire with a match.
Iintahquohae was about to stand and begin the short walk to Mrs. Mallards' tea shop, but once Daisy started searching through her bag she remained seated. She sold her things? That made sense. Inks imagined somebody that looked like they knew quite a bit about flowers might know just as much about tea leaves. "You do? Do you grow teas?" The woman falls into an awestruck silence once again. This time it's caused by catching a glimpse of that twig Daisy had morph itself into a bowl. Now that was unusual. As much as she would like to ask about the bowl and the twig and the breathing flower in her hair and gosh, what other fantastic things Daisy could do, Inks kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to interrupt. Anything that looked even just the tiniest bit magical could capture her attention and hold it for lengthy periods of time.
Daisy digs in her bag some more while that water gets hot. “I find them.” Of course she could grow them. Long as she has a seed or a root or a piece of greenery, the kitten can make it grow. Vines. Druids dig vines a whole lot. Heh. See what I did there? Dig. “But I can grow too.” A small tin is retrieved from her bag and opened. In this tin are small leaves with wrinkled edges that are smooth on top and fuzzy white underneath. There are also tiny white flowers in hemispherical clusters that are super fragrant. Sweet with a jab of spice in them. Beneath these fresh plants are dried leaves of the same plant. The dried bits are tossed into the pot to seep. The whole time, Daisy seems to be muttering to herself, but really she is asking the tea to be kind to them. While the tea brews, a sugar cube is offered to the benched woman.
Iintahquohae had never seen leaves like the ones she saw in Daisy's tin. Was that what all tea leaves looked like? She really didn't have a clue. All she ever saw of tea leaves was the crumbled, soggy little bits of tea leaves at the bottom of her cup when she finished drinking. It would be kinda neat to have tea just growing at home for days when she was feeling too lazy to walk on over to Mrs. Mallards's place, though. Inks can't quite make out what Daisy is muttering, but she takes the sugar cube offered to her and peers at the tin of leaves again. They didn't smell anything like the teas she'd had in the past. "It smells nice," the woman murmurs. "What kind of tea is it?"
Daisy tucks the tin away and grabs two small cups. A sugar cube is dropped into one cup after they are set on the ground between Daisy and the boiling pot. “Labrador.” Which shouldn’t be confused with the canine. You know, that is something you don’t really see running around here all that much: Dogs. You see lots of cats and dragons and birds, but hardly ever any dogs. Hn. Do wolves count? “It is kind of strong.” Hence the sugar cube. Satisfied with the brew, Daisy pours the tea then climbs up onto the bench with Inks, handing her the cup without the sugar. Silly kitten and her lack of personal bubble. Maybe that woman doesn’t want you so close. Not everyone likes a kitten in their lap! Ah, but you don’t care.
Iintahquohae finds herself blinking confusedly for a second time. Aren't Labradors a breed of dog? Father probably had one at some point when she was a child, but now she had Ootsa, her Rottweiler. He was probably wandering about the city somewhere. Inks never felt it necessary to keep him on a leash. Once the cup of sugarless tea is handed to her, she drops her sugar cube in. "Thanks," she says, then fidgets a bit once Daisy is in her lap. Normally an action like this would immediately cause the seamstress to hop up to her feet and move as far away as possible from the person, but Inks liked cats. Unfortunately for her, she never got the chance to keep one around the house with all of the big dogs wandering about. After waiting for the tea to cool down enough so it wouldn't scald her tongue, she takes a sip.
Daisy quietly sips her tea with a little purr in her throat. Furry ears are careful not to tickle Inks’ chin as she rests her head on the woman’s chest. The kitten certainly is good for a fantastic cup of tea and cuddles, that is for sure. Can you taste it? Not the tea. The calm. The comfort of hearts beating and kittens purring and tea... er... teaing. Funny thing about this tea. Daisy already knows what the tea does. So she just smiles and relaxes against the woman, letting the lightness take over. She won’t be hit as hard as Inks will be since she’s used to it, so she’ll be able to snap the woman out of the trance. As for Iintahquohae? Well. She’s going to be in a different world for a bit.
Iintahquohae liked this Labrador tea. After her initial sip she immediately took two more, then peered down into the cup, as if it would provide some kind of answer as to why it was so delicious. The woman almost wanted to ask, "Tea, what's making you so yummy?" but held the question back. That would just be too silly. She couldn't quite describe the taste of it, but the thought gradually began to slip away as she took a fourth sip and a feeling of lightheadedness and calm settled in. Her vision seemed to be going just a little bit fuzzy on the edges. Was this stuff supposed to make you sleepy? Inks didn't feel particularly tired.. She blinked her eyes a few times, just to make sure. Hm. Oh well. This tea is really nice. "This tea is really nice," she says to Daisy.
Daisy just smiles. She knows the tea is deliciously nice. The feline will carefully take Inky’s cup so it isn’t dropped and set the glass pair there on the bench. “Thank you.” That soft purr lulls Iintahquohae off into another world. An underwater world! Oh don’t panic, lovely! You can breathe. See? Take a breath and let it out. Everything can breathe, remember? Of course you do. It doesn’t even bother you that the way you are breathing is somewhat different. Or that your legs are... multiplied? Suctioney and... Sshhh. This new body! Heh. Go on. Take her for a spin.
Iintahquohae drifts off and is completely lost in the wonderful hallucination that tea brought on. There's water everywhere. When did this happen? How is she breathing? The woman can't help blinking confusedly. She's initially startled, naturally, since she's noticed a very distinct lack of arms, or torso, or hair or glasses or - Oooh, are those tentacles? Cautiously, she wriggles her newly acquired appendages. Why yes~! Yes they are. She wants to give a little overly enthusiastic cheer, but all that pour out are bubbles. The appearance of so many at once causes Inks to feel a bit startled again, and she hiccups. Ink bubbles. Huh? Out comes another, then another. It takes her a bit of time to figure out how to only move one tentacle at a time, and once she's got it down Inks curiously prods at one of the hiccupped ink bubbles. Now this was nice.
|| Well who doesn’t like being in the ocean? All around our lovely new sea creature is life! There’s fish over there and the bottom of the ocean over there and Oooh! A cave! There is a cave over there! Man, there’s always fun things in caves. A little blue fish flits right up to one of those giant octopus eyes on the woman’s new face. Did it just tell you to keep swimming? Woahman this place is awesome! Wait! What’s that? A shadow moving slowly through the waters. Look up! It’s a butt. Go touch it. I’m not gonna touch the butt. You touch the butt! Hey new girl. Yeah you, with the tentacles. It is just a boat, not a butt. <3
Iintahquohae doesn't even know where to begin. The woman-turned-octopus was drawn to aquatic life, and here she was, -surrounded- by it. Everywhere. Where would she go first? That fish seemed interesting. Could she talk to fish? Ooh~ And that shadow. I wonder what that's all about. But that cave over there kept grabbing her attention. She had a cave like that underneath her shop/house. It was probably a lot less interesting than this one, though. Her tentacles made a little wiggle with anticipation before she began to swim for the cave. Maybe there were some more octopus folks lurking in there.
|| Holy seacave, Batman! Er. Octolady! Yes. Tentacles with suction legs and everything. And you’re so pretty too! Kind of shiny and blueish. Enough vanity! We’re going further underwater and gee, it sure is a bit dark way back in there in that cave. But that is okay because through the magic of seaeyes, you can totally see everything. Seriously guys. I didn’t mean for that to happen. It just escaped. Know what else escapes? Your breath when you go into that cave. All along the walls just there at the mouth are brightly colored coral. Bluegreen beams of light streak the cave from holes up above, flashing now and then when something swims over them. Oh now how did that get there? Well. Can’t have a sea adventure without a treasure chest!
Iintahquohae can't help uttering a gasp (one that is made visible by the flurry of bubbles that pours from her octomouth) at all of the coral, and the light, and the treasure chest, and everything! It's all just perfect. Naturally she's drawn to the coral first, because of all the colors. Inks adored bright colors, and there were so many here! The lighting of the cave just made it all feel brighter. She did a little twirl in the water, swishing her tentacles happily, then did a quick lap around the cave before heading for the chest. Without hands, would she be able to even pry the top ope- Wait. Duh. Inky dear, you have eight arms now. -Eight-. You're good. Using four tentacles to brace her octo-body against the chest, the other four spring forward and begin to tug at the treasure chest's lid. Maybe pirates dropped this thing off here? What if it's mermaid treasure? Now that would be neat.
|| The Little Octopus would have totally been a way cuter story than some story about a whiny teenager. Totally. Some of the other fishes gather around the cave’s mouth, suckered into watching her struggle with the chest no one else could get open. The treasure chest does what it does best and stays locked up tight. It struggles, but is no match for this octohulk! The lid opens and the voices of angels ring out. ‘Aaaaahhhh~!’ Something like that. What is inside!?! Gold! Mounds of it. Gems too! Rubies and sapphires and emeralds and diamonds! Those things don’t catch your eye, though. Oh no. What is that? You don’t know what plastic is, but there it is. Small and orange and in the shape of a cat.
Iintahquohae tugged and tugged at the lid of that chest, and once it sprang open and she heard the voices, her tentacles released the treasure chest from their grasp. The piles of gems and gold gleamed in the light and Octo-Inky couldn't help snatching up one of the sapphires to hold it up to her eye. It was gorgeous, but dropped from her tentacles almost immediately after she's spied that orange cat-shaped object amongst the gems and gold. Its scooped up with her tentacles and turned over a few times while Inks examines it. She liked cats, and this cat-shaped thing was pretty neat. She wondered what it might be for. Maybe there was a kitty pirate somewhere around here. Oh! Or a kitty mermaid. Now that would be neat.
|| While the Iintahquohaepus is busy playing with that treasure, her audience scatters. Why? A pair of ten foot, moray eels slide their way in. Sshhh. Don’t want to startle the girl. Oh no. She’ll run away. We could be friends. And then eat her. Oh yes. That is a good plan. A good plan indeed. The silent banter is vocalized with slight head shaking as they move into the cave. One hides among the coral and the walls while the other is a little more open about its movements. Keep your mouth shut. No need to let the pretty octopus see your teeth.
Iintahquohae is still giddy about the idea of kitty merfolk and kitty pirates, so both eel's entrances go unnoticed. It's only when she considers leaving the cave with her new orange cat buddy that she noticed the only visible one. She swims over it, but waves one of her tentacles at it as a form of greeting. This eel was huge! She almost felt dwarfed by its size, and she kind of was. Being only half of its length made her want to swim a little bit faster and leave the eel to have fun with that treasure chest. She had other, hopefully safe things to explore!
|| Oh-ho! Said the eels in a palindromeishly manner. Dinner should not escape so easily! Eel 1 makes circles around Inky that are parallel to the ocean floor while eel 2 sneaks up on them from above. Where are you going, pretty octopus? I just want a chat. Eel 2 joins in with the octopus circling, perpendicularishly to eel 1. We just want a chat. Where are you going? Where have you been? Where are you taking our treasure? It isn’t really our treasure. Shh, she doesn’t know that. Oh right. More silent banter that gives off ‘we wanna eat chu!’ vibes.
Iintahquohae blinked. Another eel? This probably wasn't goo- Nope, definitely not good. They're doing that circle thing like that hungry wolf she encountered did in Vailkrin. This is bad..Wait. Tentacles! Of course. One of the tentacles hugs that little kitty close, while two pairs of tentacles lash outward to grab those eels by their noggins. The little suckers on the tentacles should help with this, right? Inks sure hoped so. If she managed to hold them in her grasp long enough, she'd begin knocking their heads together. You aren't touching this adorable orange kitty!
|| Without a doubt, that octopus is going to save that sweet, plastic kitty! Eel 1 and eel 2 are definitely taken for a surprise! Usually their octopus prey ink and take off, but not this one! Which makes her attack all the more effective. Maybe the pair is bigger and stronger than she is, but her quick thinking and unexpected action has them easily captured. Heads are konked together so hard that circles of starfish and stingray halo around their heads as they kind of wobble off in a stupor. Run, Inky! Er. Swim!
Iintahquohae wants to give a triumphant cheer and give them another bonk on the head for good measure, but there isn't time! She hugs that little orange kitty close and swims as quickly as her tentacles can carry her out of the cave, and up toward the surface. She wanted to see what that shadow from before was all about. Did the kitty know? Inks peered down at it with a questioning look, then looked toward the surface again. It was probably a ship! Iintahquohae liked those. She spotted the shadow again and headed for it.
|| The butt! No. Boat! Yes. A big boat that is more like a ship is there on the surface, still casting its shadow in the ocean. That kitty just smiles up at Inks with the cutest little =n.n= face you’ve ever seen. Next to Daisy’s, of course. Her’s is the cutest ever. Back to the ship! It isn’t the largest ship ever, but it is definitely big enough to haul some things. Maybe some barrels and people. People like captains and crew and -- Iinky look out for that net! Oh man! Oh gosh, what now! Surrounded by woven net, there is nowhere for her to go! It is lifting her up and up, closer and closer to that ship until the poor Iintahquohaepus is dumped unceremoniously onto the deck. The first thing she sees is a little girl with dark hair and glasses. A thick voice is telling that girl not to get so close, but she doesn’t listen.
Iintahquohae wondered if octopi had mouths that were capable of forming a smile. That kitty smile was pretty adorable. She tries to smile back, and isn't entirely sure whether or not it's visible while she swims closer and closer to the ship. Why did this all feel so familiar? As her head breaks through to the surface, she can't help noticing how familiar the ship is. This distracts her enough to get scooped up by the net and dumped on deck, and her tentacles scramble awkwardly to try and get back to the edge of the ship and plop back into the water. The scrambling comes to an abrupt halt at the sight of the little curly-haired girl, however. No wonder the ship looked familiar. It's Father's, which means that's…No way. She's looking at herself as a child. It takes Octo-Inky a moment to wrap her brain around the scene she's in, but almost instinctively one tentacle lifts to give herself a timid greeting that is unfortunately interrupted by yet another hiccup of ink. Instead of the hiccup leaving her in the form of bubbles like it did underwater, a bit of ink sprays out and hits child Inky's front and her face. So that's what happened! That octopus had a bad case of the hiccups and just wanted to say hello. Embarrassed and flustered, Octo-Inky gives her child self an apologetic look when she shrieks with surprise and ducks behind her father, and that little orange kitty she brought to the surface with her is carefully extended outward toward child Inks as a form of apology. The younger Inky peeks out from behind her father's leg while wiping away ink from her glasses, and she gives the octopus a toothy smile. Her two front teeth are missing, though. She's waiting for them to grow in still! The orange kitty the octopus holds out to her is snatched up and hugged tight. Inky always liked cats. Octopi too. She gives it a hug and dips back behind her father. Octo-Inky sighs with relief. Apology accepted!
|| Captain Father lets out a roar of laughter. “My little Inky-girl! Got yourself two presents today, eh?” He gestures to some of the crew. “Throw the creature back to sea!” He booms, knowing his daughter would be mortified if any harm came to the octopus. So decisions are made and large men with large arms gather up the octopus. Gently! They gently gather her up and toss her overboard. SPLASH!
Daisy makes sure Columbine is comfy on that bench before she goes about making another pot of tea. This one has the lightest of citrus flavors. The woman is sure to feel groggy when she comes out of her experience and will need something to lift her mind.
Iintahquohae gives a little wave goodbye to her child self and can't help grinning at the sound of her father's voice. It was strange seeing that day played out from the octopus's point of view, but Iintahquohae definitely enjoyed what she saw. As Octo-Inky is gently tossed overboard and she hits the surface of the water, she reawakens in the present, on the bench in Cenril with Daisy, back in her adult, human form. It takes a moment for her to realize that the tentacles are gone while she yawns and stretches a bit, but after blinking a few times to refocus her vision, she turns to Daisy. "I could've sworn I was an octopus just now. Did you see it? There was the ocean and Father's ship and little me.." The woman probably sounded ridiculous. She thought she probably did, anyway! That hallucination left her feeling all warm and happy, though. Inks smiled. "I met an octopus when I was little."
Daisy giggles softly as she hands Inky another cup of tea. She didn’t see any ships or oceans or octopi or fathers. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t believe the other woman didn’t see it! Oh no. She knows what the labrador does. She thanks the leaves for being kind and crawls up onto the bench to sit beside Iintahquohae with her own cup of that citrus deliciousness. “Tell me.”
Iintahquohae graciously takes the cup of tea Daisy handed to her, and takes a drink. She really liked the citrusy smell of this tea, but the tea she drank before was just as wonderful, if not more for what it caused! Inky couldn't contain her enthusiasm. It wasn't often she got this excited or talkative. "When I was real little…probably seven, I think, I went on a trip with my father. We were on deck when his crew pulled up this really pretty blue octopus with their nets. He didn't want me to get close, but I did anyway." The woman paused for maybe a fraction of a second to take another drink of that delicious tea, then continued. That pretty blue octopus sprayed ink at her! "That pretty blue octopus sprayed ink at me! It got all over my glasses and my dress. But just now, I could've sworn I was that octopus, you know? There was this cave with a treasure chest and these eels, and she knocked their heads together and swam away to the ship! She wasn't angry or anything when she sprayed me with ink, though. She just had the hiccups!" Another pause is made to drink some more tea. "And she had that little orange cat with her…Ferdinand. I still have him! She gave him to me. I think she was sorry for the hiccup ink." The thought of that little smiling cat made her smile again. "Father and his crew still call me Inky and Inks because of that day."
Daisy listens to the woman’s grand adventure with a tiny glint in her eyes as she sips her own tea. She has to giggle at the giddy. Seems Columbine didn’t need the second cup afterall! She is just so happy, the tea only made her even more alive and vibrant. Every once in awhile, the labrador sends people into a dark place. Not often though. And certainly not today. The worst is when she tells them what the tea does. People try to force things to happen and that is never a good time. “Happy memories are happy.”