RP:Sometimes you don't have to drink the potion.

With all the recent talk and outbreak of war between Larket and Cenril, it would likely be a surprise to any who knew her to find Lita in Xalious, of all places. A city of magic, for one. And a city which had very publicly made its opinion of vampires made abundantly clear in the last year. Which was ultimately why she'd sided with Larket in all this war nonsense. Another surprise. She couldn't care less who won the war. She was on her own side, and that meant being against Valrae... but all of this is just thought to chew on for now, as she pads barefoot through the sleeping town and heads north, following some haphazard directions. A dark cloak covers her shoulders and any dress beneath, hanging past her knees and clasped at the front with a silver pendant. The hood drawn up shrouds her face in shadow, only errant wisps of dark hair seen from beneath it. No, tonight was not for war but for stealth, and entirely different mission. Long overdue. She should have invited Trix along. The little fox would have brought snacks and hummed an annoying little theme song as they went. Well, she'd have to endure her own company, it seemed.

Sometimes the things a girl needs are in far away places. Places high up and away from the war and fights and political things. Things needed for the aftermath of such chaos where this little kitten can be more useful. But gathering has happened and now is for breaks! Breaks on paths in directions that aren't always the most clear. She managed to get to the market right before everyone was closing up for the night. And while the Xalious Mountain Oysters were... interesting, heh - she opted for some fatty steakbits on a stick instead. Chonky girls need to keep in shape and round is the best of shapes. Just as she finishes the meats, she sees feets? Feets of sneakery! Bare feets trying their best to not be noticed as they get closer and closer to Daisy's spot of resting. Watching those feets and the rest of that shrouded woman attached to them, she finishes her little bottle of wine. "Want help?"

Lita had often take care not to leave a trail. Footprints had been a tricky thing. What with living on a beach and having a preference for being barefoot. There was ocean and sand and dirt and sand and mud and sand and sand and sand... Now there was just the nifty little charm bracelet with its bone beadlets and its magic spell that kept everything clean and tidy. She could dance barefoot through rain and puddle and mud alike and leave no footprints behind. But the feets themselves were still visible, of course. One often forgets that being barefoot is not as normal a thing for humans in the city. So the sudden rattle of another voice in her head, accompanied by some familiarity to be recognized, is a surprise, if not a concern as she glances down at the kitten. She sniffs at the wafting air of steak and wrinkles her nose, though the gesture is likely still hidden beneath that cloak. Every fiber tells her to continue solo. She'd always worked better alone. But the kitten hadn't been useless in their prior meeting and maybe involving the thing would leave Mahri a bit closer to Lita’s good side. She needed some help in that department lately, at least. So with a soft sigh she tugs her hood back a bit and produces a poorly drawn map of the city on a piece of torn parchment. "Any chance you know how to find the imp?" She grumbles something under her breath about hating this city. "He might have something I need."

Daisy tucks that empty bottle in her bag for later times of usefulness before taking that offered paper. She looks at it, turns it upside down. Flips it over. Folds it in half. Unfolds it. Turns it rightsideup. Smells it. Looks over there. Oi! Right. Imp. That paper is handed back to Lita with a smile. "By the forever garden." Oh the kitten knows that garden well. She's a collector, you know. And collectors know where to get all the best things. That garden is one of the best. Lita doesn't need the garden, though. She needs the imp that lives close by. You know where that is so probably you should just go on and take the woman there. "I can take you."

"Appreciated." Lita muses, the slight upwards quirk of the corner of her mouth hinting at a smile. Almost a smile. Not quite a smile. There was still business to do after all. "Maybe there'll be something shiny you're wantin' too?" It's not quite a question. More of an offer. She's careful not to use the word buy, of course. No sense lying unnecessarily on top of any other devious plans. She gives a bent little bow, almost mockingly and waves her left arm ahead of them for the kitten to lead the way for them both. Almost as an afterthought she asks after a moment, "What's a forever garden?" She'd never explored Xalious much. Very little, in fact. Despite whatever sort of beautiful the city might be, it was still a dense magical capital of the land and she had zero interest in the magics of it. Though plants were always an interest if she could make pretty ink out of them.

"The black and purple roses don't die. You'll see." Daisy absolutely smiles all the smiles that are very much teethy smiles cause kitten fangs are the cutest smiles. She definitely does like shiny things and business is not going to keep them smiles away. Business brings the smiles on! So maybe it is more like a grin like them invisible stripey cats in lands of wondering. Little devious. Lot crazy. Absolutely a good time. "Imps sleep at night, but we can get what you need." She heads off in the direction they need to be going in, prancing a little since she can't help it. Daisy is the kind of girl who comes across things from time to time. Maybe Lita won't mind the methods. She is dressed for sneakrits anyway.

Lita doesn't mind anyone's methods, or judge them (at least not out loud). She'd been better at knowing things once, another lifetime ago, before an island had become home and bare feet had found themselves grounded. And so she follows, tethered still to the curiosity of a new place and things and even with the magic that lives and breaths around them, the ebb and flow a constant reminder of things that make her skin crawl, she can't help but find the scene that unfolds a breathtaking thing. She reaches up to lower the hood of her cloak, forgetting for a brief moment why they'd come at all- why she'd come. Because what other purpose could there be but to find such roses, with colors of twilight sunsets and secrets. She crouches and cups one of the roses briefly, her thumb tracing one of the petals before it falls. A moment of panic as she thinks she's broken it but then it's, no, it's okay, it's absorbed into the substrate and regrows. That's normal... And suddenly the realization of the magic is stronger than the beauty of it and she makes a face at it. The manufactured wonder of it. How many students did the mage's guild employ to keep this place alive? She rolls her eyes and stands again, brushing her palms across her cloak as she glances over at the fountain. "Who's the martyr?" She assumes it's a martyr. Or some devout believer of some kind. Either way. She waves a hand at the question and then points to the doors beyond the fountain and then the stairs. Where was that map again? Better to just ask. "Alright, which way?"

Daisy is full of the magical things that happen when folks have skills and talent and sometimes dumb luck, so the garden and flowers and whatnot throwing Lita into her range of emotions over there don't quite pull her in the same direction. Instead, she is reminded of a friend who might just like these colors for fabrics and things that are always so pretty. Claws are extended to clip three of each color rose, quickly and with a hushed tone so they don't turn to dust before hitting her paw. "For Inks," she announces while tucking them away in her bag, more to herself than to her companion who may or may not know who the seamstress is. Right. Onward! They are on a mission, right? Which way. This way! She waves so Lita will follow her over to and up the strange, dark, cloud stairs. "Not far now."  

Lita is not much for studying the ways of the universe and creation and whatever mysticism or forces might have led to all of them being here in time and space and circumstance. But if she were the sort of person to study such things, it's not hard to imagine Daisy as having been the central theme of some romanticized notion of the world's beginning, with the world being yawned into some sunshine-laced fever dream of existence when she sneezed. Or something. It's enough of a side-quest in thought to make her smile to herself as they wander along. She offers a brief shrug when Daisy mentions the roses are for inks- and Lita assumes she means pigments and not the person. She might snag a few for herself and hide them away in the pockets of her cloak. The tree they wander near is silver, strange but beautiful and she plucks a few leaves from the tree as they make their way up the stairs, pocketing those alongside the roses. The imp creature makes a "tsk'ing" sound at her as it slips around her legs and then Daisy's and Lita makes a face at the creature and then at Daisy. It takes effort not to reach for the dagger at her hip as the creature sniffs at them curiously before producing various goods across the cloud-ground at their feet. Curious enough, but not quite what she was looking for. All the same, she crouches for a moment, poking at the items absently. A pot of salve, a bit of bone, a chunk of some gem stone or another, what is this bottle of pink liquid- "For the tummies." The imp chitters at her in broken common, rubbing a hand on its stomach briefly. Lita nods, unconvinced, but sure. "Not quite what I was looking for." she admits.

Lita never said what she was looking for when she said she needed the imp, only that she needed to find the little shopkeep. Probably would have been a good idea to ask about it while they were walking. At least then she could have helped look for the thing that was needed. But maybe there is a thing in that bag you need, kitten. Maybe a trinket or bottle of something useful to little felines out and about. The imp seems busy showing Lita things over there and the bag is just here being open and partially full and all alone just waiting to be peeked into. What is the imp hiding? What is it keeping from us? Secret things to be discovered, that's what! Go on in there then. Take a peek... In she goes! Head first without hesitation. She shoves aside some swords and daggers and books and what kind of timey-wimey space magic is in this bag of extra largeness on the interior bits is this? Random items are dumped outside of the bag as she moves them aside to see what else is in there. Scrolls and pens and glass bottles full of clear liquid roll a bit over there to the side. She doesn't want any of this stuff at all. She wants the bag!

Lita is prattling on with the little imp. He's being cagey. No, she's not interested in the usual mundane objects he peddles to the everyday patron. Where are the things he hordes for the mage's guild, hmm? She wants the dragon heads and the kraken's teeth, the seaborn scales and the blood of some century old witch... a commotion behind them draws the imp's attention, something sounding like a bull in a china shop, but no, it's just a random assortment of weaponry, armor and magical items being tossed forth from a suddenly and strangely small bag. They both pause and stare for a moment before realizing simultaneously that Daisy has launched herself inside of the thing. The tip of a swaying fuzzy tail might have tipped them off as well. The imp launches into a strangled cry of outrage that is a language Lita doesn't recognize, but she's pretty sure she understands. And she smiles to herself. Thank you, kitten. She whips back around to scan the little shelves the imp had been crouched in front of, searching, searching... aha! She swipes and pockets a few glass vials from the shelf, scooting other items around to hide the sudden hole in inventory. Never bad go take extras. When she turns around again, the imp has a hold of Daisy's ankles and is trying to yank her back out of the bag. She seems to be holding on to something. Somethings. Better go help...

There is no fuzzy tail at the end of Daisy's tush. No. Her tail is long and leathery and stabby (currently tipped with a cork) thanks to everyone's beloved Maladroit. That cork tip repeatedly bonks the imp on the head while kicking little feet are being tugged on. A small racket can be heard from within the bag: a little clanging, a bit of yelping, a LOT of crashing. Giving up, the kitten allows herself to be pulled out from the bag. She tumblerolls into the very angry imp, eventually sitting up with a rub of the back of her head. "No snacks today." She pouts a bit before looking up at Lita. "Maybe we look somewhere else?"

Lita might have probably imagined the fuzzy tail. She tends to assume all tiny, cute fuzzy things should follow the same progression of ears, snoot, four legs, toe beans, tail. Prior to coming to Rynvale, she'd only heard stories of human-animal creature-peoples, let alone vampires and werewolves. She'd led a very quintessentially human existence. Her years mainland had done very little to broaden those horizons, but she is learning... or maybe Daisy's just not the only thing in that bag with a fluffy tail... the imp is chittering away and even without speaking the language, Lita can surmise the words. She tries for a smile and snatches a few bottles that have rolled from the bag towards her feet. "What are these?" She asks, uncorking one and giving the lime green liquid a tentative sniff. Minty. "Oohh, perfumes?" Her eyes widen with what is either excitement or some hallucinogenic and she's using her teeth to uncork a second vial of something amber colored with swirls of darker gold inside. More earthy. Not as fun. Not bad but she makes a face at it. The imp is scrambling to his feet, arms outstretched as he yells for her to stop in broken common. Lita plays dumb and uncorks another vial. A little puff of pink smoke coughs from the edge of the bottle. She's about to ask what it is but when she opens her mouth, all that comes out is a little meow. She looks about for the source, some little kitten that's probably followed Daisy from the bag, but the world has gone dark rather suddenly. Such a strange thing. At least it's warm, wherever here is. Maybe that first vial had been some sort of mind-altering potion after all... "You're friend lucky she no imp..." the imp is saying. He sounds far away and loud all at once. Lita paws at whatever thing she's found herself trapped in. It must work because the world is instantly flooded with light. Too bright because she's squinting and then she's being picked up and blinking at a Daisy Giant!? What potion trickery is this!? "I flippin' hate magic!" She tries to yell. Except instead little black paws flail at the air as she hisses and the imp drops a little Lita-cat into Daisy's hands. She's pretty sure the imp says something about the effects lasting only a few hours, since she hadn't drank the potion, but WHAT!?!?

Little pink nose meets little black nose as Daisy lifts the newly formed Lita up to her face. Well this is unexpected. New and unusual, not in this line of work. But definitely unexpected. She is careful and gentle and doesn't mind the hisses and scratches from the scaredconfusedVERYangry Litakitten as she cradles her close for protection and comfort. You might not have found snacks or trinkets or anything of use to you, but probably now would be a good time to get going, kitten. Kitten squared. Both of you now! Daisy nods and gathers up Lita's clothes and things to shove in her own bag. Can't leave anything behind and clothes are expensive. "Thanks for the help!" she calls out to the imp while making their retreat back to the garden then to the woods and just as far from the irritated imp as her little legs can possibly take her. Eventually she is satisfied with the distance and slumps down by a tree with the Litakitten in her lap. The absolutely soft and adorable and grumbly Litakitten. It makes Daisy giggle a little as she pets the black fur on her back. "You'll be okay." So she waits, making sure her new friend is safe.

LitaKitten is chewing on the Daisy's forearm with furious little kitten teeth and grumpily muffled meows as Daisy gets them to safety. At least Daisy remembered her clothes, so the trip wasn't a waste. Hopefully those vials of holy water would be safe for a while. LitaKitten is tempted to make a run for it when Daisy makes herself comfortable, but her lap is warm and soft and comfy. And what are her fingers-no, paws- why are they doing this little stretchy biscuit thing? Lita is not a cat person but Hanan had had one. It had hated her. She arches her back and purrs when Daisy scratches her back, turning in a little circle before she curls into a little circle on Daisy's lap and half curls onto her back to paw up at her fingers. She's not sleep. But maybe a little nap would be okay. I mean, if she has to wait for this spell to wear off anyway, might as well.