[Open] August Catch-All

[long_live_the_queen]

Who: Kaede, others, you!
When: August in general
Where: Within the city, Smugha Cave, others to be added
What: Thread holder for the month. Feel free to hit up my plotting post here or my plurk at blueraven if you'd like to hash something out!
Warnings: Potential violence, others to be added as needed


I. Any District

[When Kaede crossed the city, it was usually in direct ways—or more aimless meanderings. But the city was busy and crowded and there was only so much the promise of free clothing could do to smooth over the prospect of dealing with that many people for so long. So, the former it was.

This also meant casually trespassing in people's yards. Empty yards—or at least ones that seemed empty on first glance, she wasn't stupid. Where possible, the Chimera walked along courtyard walls instead of actually straying in them, but sometimes that wasn't exactly feasible. She didn't take anything while she was pacing with purpose between rows of flowers, a garden, or otherwise—but the antlered Chimera was highly visible, her hair dark pink and her arms covered in bright scarlet feathers.

...well, okay. She did linger sometimes. Those flowers were pretty.

Or perhaps she's hovering near a patch of trailing honeysuckle, or perched conspicuously atop a wall with her head tilted—did she hear a dog barking?]

II. Caught in the rain

[Of course it'd be raining on the day Kaede had to return these books. Of course it'd do so while she was mid-transit. And of course she'd find that this newly purchased cloak leaked.

The worst of it seemed to be on her head, where the hood had been rather hastily modified to fit around her antlers. It looked nice in the store, and in cooler (not rainy) weather. But it let water in through those gaps, and the left shoulder seam had started to leak, too.

So Kaede slouched, under an awning outside a shop, a home, anywhere with a roof, the books tucked into the one dry spot still under the cloak.

Let this storm pass soon. Let this storm pass soon...]

Comments

aaaa I'm sorry for your inbox

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede was a lot of in-betweens. Not a child, not an adult, not a human and not a beast. And now not quite a number of disparate things thrown into the same skin.

The Chimera turned her head slightly when a voice spoke to her, red eyes gleaming out from under the hood.]

Tailor on East Market Street. [Some shop in the...Shopping District that was giving out free garments, like so many others had been during Lunasa. Now that it wasn't, though, there wasn't that much in the way of ready-made garments and she needed a cloak Right Now. The employees there were also rather harried and wanted the irritable Chimera gone as quickly as possible.]

what is this SORRY nonsense!!!!!

[foursakes]

[ four worries her lip. you poor thing, she’d want to emit, as much as she possibly agreed with the shop owners on east market street. ]

Come, [ she gestures, ] I’ll fit something for you. Something affective. [ a click of her tongue as she looks over such— such indecency. ] I’d say they gave you rags, my . . . [ suck it up. she has to copy those she finds pleasant to hear. ] My lady.

because edits!!!

[long_live_the_queen]

[The Chimera looked at her, then--blinked, twice. What did the girl call her?

She snorted to herself quietly, reaching up to undo the fastenings that held her hood closed around her antlers. Kaede would need to dry those seams out anyway.]

I'm a monster, not a lady.

wraps edits

[foursakes]

But, [ she refuses to be wrong. calling her a monster would be so . . . so horrible on her part. she was no elf, she did not deserve her wrath. ] your whole life? I have heard of strangers, mirrorbound— that suffer changes upon their arrival.

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede shook the hood off her head, revealing her feathered hair and tufted ears in full. One was turned in the human's direction, the other twitching after the sound of raindrops.

The Chimera rolled her shoulders in a shrug.]

I was terrible enough before the mirror. Now I just look it too.

[foursakes]

[ oh,

hm,

that is quite possibly true, four thinks. ]

That, [ she shakes her head, and beckons her to come, ] that isn’t true. [ if anything, she’s leading her inside for some fitting. ] And you’re . . . Well, with this?

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede heard that optimistic denial, and like so many denials beforehand, let it pass. The human didn't seem to understand, and the Monster didn't want to explain.]

What's the point in fighting it? I am what I am.

[She couldn't just undo her nails growing to hooked talons, her arms stretching half again as long. The feathers could fall off, the antlers...still might? But they'd be back.]

[foursakes]

[ ouch. ouch, personally— because that is something four never would accept to say. she was what she was? four was a simple girl, nothing in between the cracks that made her an empty, brittle little shell.

she wanted to be so much more than what was hollow, and so she fights to make it true. ]

You must fight for what you feel is important.