[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

[beariot]

Shh, shh... it's okay. Just keep going. [ Kaede wasn't exactly a heavy girl, even with her monstrous nature, and Ursula's boots were fairly sturdy. She could handle a pinched toe or two. The last thing she wanted was for Kaede to get hung up on guilt or shame in her mistakes. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Ha. Ha. About that guilt problem.]

[The Chimera mumbled, a not-entirely-human but identifiably fussy sound. Her tailtip curled and flicked out of time with their steps--and they did keep going, no pauses. The Bond held only patience and reassurance.]

Are you sure?

[Kaede's voice was a hoarse whisper, and she had to lean in to be heard under the music. She didn't want anyone else to hear.]

[beariot]

[ Ursula nodded, smiling brightly. ]

I promise. [ And it really was fine. She projected that confidence as much as she could over the bond, let it settle over Kaede like a warm blanket, keeping her safe and cozy, and free from any judgement. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Oh. That was a nice feeling. And an...odd feeling. Kaede was just dancing, poorly she thought. She hadn't (really) hurt anyone, lashed out at anyone, escaped from anywhere--what did she do to deserve it? To earn that reassurance?

...but. She missed it, desperately, and clawed after the suggestion of comfort like a drowning person for air. It was selfish of her.

Maybe she should be selfish more often.

Some of Kaede's feathers even lifted up in response to the warmth that wasn't physically there, like a bird on a cold day.]

[beariot]

[ Ursula was learning to be a little more selfish herself. She had Ozymandius to thank for those little lessons, those little moments that allowed her own radiance to 'shine' for others. With Kaede as her bonded, it was important she have a steady anchor to cling to in her moments of insecurity, that Ursula be a star to guide her.

How fitting of her name. ]

After this, how about we take a break away from the crowds, hm? Just you and me.

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede couldn't help but perk up a little at the suggestion; she'd lost track of the people around them or if anyone was looking at her, but they hadn't gone from her mind. This was still a stranger's wedding with strange people and Kaede intently disliked the people part of that equation.]

Please. [Another whisper, still hoarse.]

[beariot]

[ Ursula gave a silent nod in response, holding Kaede close to her as they finished up the song. The rhythm was almost dreamlike in its steadiness, and she couldn't help but notice its similarity to a certain song from her world. It helped know just what sort of mood to keep in her motions, and how tender her approach to Kaede needed to be.

When it was said and done, she simply let Kaede stay there in her arms for a bit, gently breathing and stroking her hair. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[The feathers in Kaede's hair were cashmere-soft despite how bristly they looked, and were still fluffed out a bit from before. The contact wasn't too close to her horns, either, so beyond an initial shiver she didn't recoil. She should be wary and suspicious of Ursula's intentions, letting the Witch that close.

But Kaede didn't need to be, and that...confused her, too. There weren't any deceptions or tricks or...anything that made it through the Bond. A note of surprise flickered past the confusion (and contentment) through the Bond's thread--she hadn't needed to worry the entire time they'd been dancing.

She could hear Ursula's pulse and feel her breath brushing past a long ear, steady and calm like the emotions the Witch had been broadcasting. And hear the--

--wait. The music had stopped. Kaede stirred from the haze she'd been in, the world coming back into focus instead of blurred, unimportant things surrounding Ursula.]

--we were going somewhere.

[beariot]

I was going to suggest my apartment, but we can go anywhere you like.

[ She hadn't missed the trance Kaede had found herself in a moment ago. It may have been only temporary, but Ursula found herself glad she was able to provide that for the chimera, at least for a moment, where her heart could be still and she could feel truly at peace. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Now that she was alert again, Kaede's head turned this way and that to assess her surroundings properly. The dancing had stopped, with the pairs mostly disengaging to drift back to the main gathering. Some were staying to talk, and someone was surely going to make eye contact with her soon enough.]

Just--away.

[The Chimera let go of Ursula too, but grabbed onto the Witch's wrist instead and tugged her insistently the opposite direction everyone else was going, to a dead end part of the walled garden. She kept looking back over her shoulder every few steps, like a fussy cat making sure its human was following it.]

Can you climb?

[beariot]

[ Between the question and the wall, Ursula didn't need much more to figure out where Kaede was going with her inquiry, simply giving her a nod in response. Normally she'd try to think of less unorthodox ways to ghost a party, but well... it could be a nice moment of bonding with Kaede if Ursula showed her just how athletic she actually was. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[That was much simpler than Kaede thought it would be. She'd expected to do more convincing, in Kaede's...usual means of being convincing. But she didn't.

With that nod, the Chimera turned towards the wall, picked a spot near some trailing vines--and after a few tail swishes, sprang upwards to give herself a head start in climbing. Her claws rasped against the brick, but she didn't hear any louder sounds or any startled exclamations behind her.]

[beariot]

[ Ursula carefully followed behind. She may not have had Kaede's creature advantages, but she had experience and more strength than her usual presentation gave the impression of. For her approach, she used the surprisingly secure guides for the flowers to keep herself steady as she went up, hold by hold, behind Kaede. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Even now, Kaede kept glancing over her shoulder to make sure Ursula was still there. The first time, she blinked in surprise at how readily the Witch was following her up--she'd thought she'd need to help Ursula scale the wall. The second glance confirmed it, and by the third Kaede ceased being surprised.

...she might have batted Ursula in the face with her tail a few times, though. Sorry.]

[beariot]

[ Just came with the territory, as far as she was concerned. But it did knock her glasses slightly askew, and she couldn't quite stop to adjust them. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede got to the top of the wall first--no surprises there, she had a head start and tactical upgrades to her hands. She crouched and balanced there easily, reaching down after Ursula to help the Witch up, claws and all. Her hand briefly wavered between offering help or fixing those glasses, though.

But she doubted Ursula would need the help, on second thought. She was close on Kaede's heels the whole time, which surprised her.]

[beariot]

[ She still took the offered hand, taking care to mind the claws, happy to have the help get herself up to the top of the wall with a small grunt. After a moment to catch her breath, she giggled to herself, adjusting her glasses finally. ]

Goodness... I haven't done that in awhile.

[long_live_the_queen]

[The Chimera was careful to keep her hand mostly still so Ursula could latch onto it like any other handhold. Once more, the weight of an entire person hanging off of her arm was an afterthought rather than an impossible task.

Kaede was reluctant to let go of the Witch once she was up on the wall with her, hanging onto her hand.]

You used to climb garden walls?

[Her voice didn't change much, but a flutter of amusement drifted through Kaede's end of the Bond.]

[beariot]

Not that specifically, but before I learned to fly a broom, I definitely got into a lot of trouble climbing all sorts of things. I guess I just liked being able to stand on tall things when I was younger.

[ She didn't miss that Kaede was still holding on to her, giving her hand an affectionate squeeze. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede's head inclined slightly, curiosity bubbling up this time.]

You could fly?

[That reminded her of her own wings--or what might be wings eventually, the sheets of feather on her arms. It also reminded her of the...inability to actually fly anywhere, just sort of flutter to the ground like a chicken. Maybe Ursula had some advice--

Some startled exclamations interrupted her next thoughts--or any thoughts at all, as her body acted before those slower considerations caught up. Kaede's limbs were propelled by a possessive, protective instinct now.

She scooped up Ursula, curling her arms around the Witch's shoulders and knees, hissed like a tea kettle at the strange voices, and hopped right down from the wall to the empty street below.

All the way down.]

[beariot]

[ She was fairly certain the exclamations were over the bouquet toss, but Kaede acted well before there was any chance to actually ascertain the situation. Ursula could only help swept up in the girl's arms and suddenly falling with her and falling well more than she'd been prepared for.

She clung tightly to Kaede, panicking to be sure, but also assured in her bonded's ability to keep her safe. But that didn't make the experience any less immediately terrifying. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[She could feel Ursula clinging to her, which inflamed those instincts to get away from a place she didn't like. Her distaste for the gathering had been low-grade but human before. The sounds startled something else in her mind.

Kaede landed--heavily, a bone-jarring impact that made her stagger and drop to a knee with a grunt. These human legs weren't nearly as springy as she thought, and without her vectors to take the brunt of the fall that...actually kind of hurt. But Kaede tried not to jar Ursula that much, and certainly didn't want to drop her.]

[beariot]

[ Ursula wasn't jarred, but she felt that pain Kaede had over the bond, immediately looking at Kaede's face with immediate and pronounced worry. It wasn't asked, but she needed to know her bonded was okay, that she hadn't hurt herself with that stunt. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Ow. Maybe jumping fifteen feet down had been a bad idea. Her ankles were not happy with this decision and neither was one of her knees. And while lifting Ursula up had been a trifling thing, landing with an entire other person's weight on her legs wasn't so much.

But Kaede's mind wasn't so hazed that she didn't feel the worry and panic clawing at it. She looked down at Ursula the same way she did when they were both on the wall, though her deerlike ears were still swiveled forwards toward the wall they'd fallen from in case of pursuit or something else to run from. Neither materialized.]

Are you okay?

[Kaede asked, ignoring the sudden and persistent ache in her ankles. It's fine, She's Fine, stop looking at her like that.]

[beariot]

[ I'm the one that needs to ask you that! Ursula insisted. But the bond made it clear not only that Kaede was, indeed, hurt, but where the pain was centered. She was quick to reach for her wand, murmuring a quick spell and focusing her magic and energy on Kaede's ankles, healing binds soothing over the strained and aching muscles, binding them back together. ]