Silhouettes (Nako)

[Kitty]

It was mid afternoon when he started in on the small village, it seemed like a better place to try then a larger city.... less people and less chances for mishaps after all. Besides, it was rather warm and he'd been walking all day.... he was getting a little tired. Perhaps he'd be able to find a kind soul here so he wouldn't have to sleep amoungst the trees tonight? Oh, that would be marvelous, even if the area was quite lovely. He had a rather distinct fondness for places that didn't gut the surrounding environment, it was nice.

He swished his feather tipped tail, curling it up and holding it just so so that it didn't sweep the ground and pulled his shoulders straight so that he could give the best first impression he possibly could. However, that didn't seem to matter. The further he walked in the more he noticed that everyone was staring, and no... .that wasn't an over statement. Everyone was staring at him with some level of horror or another, it was so very strange. The more he noticed, the worse he felt and he started to slump a little again and tilted his ears somewhat back. This was terribly unnerving and he understood this reaction far less then violence. All in all this was weird and he felt utterly and completely out of place.

[Nako]

Word always traveled fast in Zuberi's village, and it didn't take long for the whispers to reach her ears as she did her daily shopping. A Lowlander, eh? Well, that's all she had heard anyways. Whether it was pure Lowlander or not was never something that was considered, for as long as it carried the curse it was well known for, it was something to be feared. Frowning, Zuberi handed over the sack of fish she had carried to market in exchange for the spices she had been running low on; other than a few amenities, she was able to forage for herself rather well out in the lush jungles of Midori.

Zuberi.. had always felt at odds with the Lowlanders. She feared them from her teachings she had received since she was a child, but at the same time she had grown to.. pity them. She hated herself enough for that much, because she didn't necessarily like feeling sorry for others. What right was it of hers to think that their lives were so terrible that they would be miserable? Granted, most of the ones she had met were in fact quite lackluster about their existence... but she hated to assume.

As the whispers grew louder, there was only one conclusion to be drawn; the Lowlander was coming closer. Zuberi wasn't one to stare, but she couldn't help but look curiously over her shoulder to see.. well.. she certainly didn't expect that.

He was.. strangely quite healthy looking. Sure, one could see the rot peeling away at his tail.. but he really didn't look too horrid.. and he had a bipedal form. Zuberi was quite in awe of that in itself. Most Lowlanders she had seen were still in their quadruped form.. skulking and unwilling to make something of themselves. And those wings... Also it was obvious he wasn't pure Lowlander, and the affect was.. gruesomely handsome.

Though he stood tall over many of the quadruped shoppers in the marketplace, he had come to look rather pitiful under their horrified gazes. It was.. just too much. Rubbing her handpaws together and muttering a prayer begging the powers that be to keep her safe from all that may ail the Card, she stepped forward, ignoring the hisses of warning from behind her as she put on a smile for him, and put her hand out in welcome, offering to shake his hand as was typical in her custom. "Welcome to Midori, M'friend. Are you enjoyin' your stay?" She spoke.. a bit too soft for her liking.. not with the usual false joy given to most tourists, but with an undercurrent of an honest desire.. no.. a need to help this creature.

[Kitty]

Being primarily rat, and having a rather poor start in life, he wasn't really a large card, not even in his bipedal form. The form, however, had given a bit more courage after he'd gotten used to it, at least this way not absolutely everyone could look down on him or loom over him, the latter being rather effective for making him squirm. However, in times like these it only seemed to make him stick out more, just a taller target to attract the disapproving glances of the natives. And... .was there a hush now preceding him? Oh dear lords that was creepy.

He was considering just taking wing and settling in the jungle to get away from them when a few hissed words that he couldn't quite make out made his ears twitch forward moments before a little mint and strawberry form came forward from the crowd. The muscles in his muzzle twitched, bringing his whiskers forward in intrigue as he watched her come toward him, which in turn diverted some of the disapproving gazes from him to her. He was thankful for that, but at the same time it made him feel terribly guilty, he didn't want to cause a kind soul any problems and he was officially convinced that that is what she was.

When she held out her paw a small smile tugged at the corners of his maw as he tentatively reached out and accepted her hand, giving it a surprisingly firm shake for such a timid creature. A weak handshake meant a bad impression, after all, and that certainly wasn't what he was going for... even though he felt a very strong urge to quake with fear under the stares and being so near a stranger. This fear translated it's self into his voice and it bothered him, he was better at controlling his body language but his voice and his eyes gave him away every time. And that stutter.... if he could only get rid of that ...

H-hello there, I Only j-just arrived s-so I.... don't know.

And after he spoke that small smile shifted into a rather sheepish one as he battled back the flush of red that had already started to appear upon his features. It really didn't take much to get the rat-eagle to blush profusely, which she just might end up doing soon.

[Nako]

For such a strong handshake, his wavering voice surprised her. Glancing up at him oddly(She was hardly stomach level when sitting on her haunches as she shook his hand), she offered a bit of a grin before releasing her grip to take a step back.. not to get away from him but to better see him. "Aiiyee... You're tall! Just arrived, eh? Well,that means ya haven't wasted much time wanderin' about aimlessly then! Ya see, I'm one of the tour guides around dese parts. For modest coin I can provide you a tour of some of the best spots in the land, untouched by commercialism and other such nonsense. Also... if need be I can find you a place to stay for the night, but be aware pickings are slim." Her last comment was said in a low tone so other Midori couldn't hear, and the meaningful look in her eye told all of the reasons he would have a hard time finding a place to stay.

[Kitty]

His ears swiveled as he listened to her and her first comment caught him a little off guard. Tall? He didn't ever get called that, he lived in a home with deer and a feline and Isolde... all of which were rather large creatures and, well, he really wasn't. But, in a way he was? He wasn't exactly confused, he knew precisely what his own thought processes meant, he just wasn't certain what path of action to take.

I c-could shift.... if y-you wanted.

He truly didn't want to offend her and if assuming his animal form would be better, he would do it, even if he looked far more pathetic when in it. The rest however, made him slightly uncomfortable. Was she merely speaking to him in order to make a few coins? Maybe not, just as that thought had crossed his mind her voice dropped and she had a certain look in her eyes that explained the underlying meaning clearly to him. He merely nodded to her and spoke a bit more softly then he had been before.

I... understand.

[Nako]

"Oh no no.. not at all..." Zuberi insisted, picking up the interesting biped's finger into her own and giving soft tugs to direct him along after her. She was... careful not to tug too hard. She'd already had a run-in once in the past with a Lowlander and had the creature nearly fall apart just by running into her. She.. really didn't want to cause trauma to herself or this strange hybrid at that moment and time.

As they made their way out of the main group, Zuberi's cheerful face turned into a more.. honest one.. one that was midly worried and apologetic. "Please don' think too badly of my people for how they act. There are long-standin' superstitions about.. about your condition. They'll all have their smiles back on for ye eventually.."

Looking around to make sure no one was around to hear them, Zuberi gave a long sigh, but it turned back into a genuine smile as she craned her neck up to look at him. He was such.. a fragile looking thing. The look in his eyes...

"But please.. don't feel like you have to change ye form for my sake. Two legs suits you... But enough of that.. what brings you into Midori, friend? You don't seem the sort looking for so much a vacation as somethin' else." In better humor, she grinned cheezily and took his finger in her hand once more, giving it a friendly shake. She had been quite heartened that the flesh on his hands were of healthy texture and color and was more bold in her social greeting. "The name's Zuberi, by the way... here I go, whisking you off into dark corners with you barely knowing who I am.. I might be a scary pirate ready to git ya!" She giggled fitfully and wiggled her tail, finding that private joke quite amusing to herself.

[Kitty]

She grabbed his... finger? That was a bit odd really, not only for the fact that she seemed so willing to touch him but that no one had ever led him by a finger. At first he quirked a brow before the purpose behind such a gesture clicked fully and he moved along behind her, willing and somewhat eager to get away from the others. One on one interactions, while still terribly stressful and awkward, were far easier then groups.... especially ones that seemed so set in the ways of thinking. Besides, the squirrel seemed rather pleasant and the moods of others were rather infectious to the hybrid.

He passed off her first comments about him not needing to shift with another small smile as he listened to her continue, listening was one of his better talents... something not even he could be awkward with.

I-it's alright, r-really. I've had... worse.

His eyes darkened a bit with that last word, oh if she only knew how much worse. It wasn't a particularly bad reaction it was just... strange to him like open acceptance was.

Oh, she was a rather perceptive one wasn't she? He had come here for something else, but he wasn't entirely certain what all his reasonings were. For one he knew he needed to get out and meet all types of people and what better way to do that then travel the realms? Now... how did he put all of that into the fewest words possible?

Y-you're right... I'm on a q-quest of sorts...

He was a rather open individual despite being terribly shy as well, socially awkward. He had nothing to really hide and wasn't under any real impression that someone might use any information he had for ill intentions so getting an answer from him was generally as simple as asking for it. But his name? That was easy enough to get out without stuttering, the rest he needed to take pauses in between to have the same effect.

Tavor... It's a... pleasure.

As she continued about being a scary pirate ready to get him though, he couldn't help but bristle his fur ever so slightly and fan those feathers on his tail tip a bit. Did such things really exist?

[Nako]

When Tavor bristled, Zuberi all but hopped up and down on her hind feet, waving her hands in defensively. "Oh, no no! No worries about those t'ings.. I was just kidding!" Goodness... and she thought she was gullible! Either he was naive.. or just that suspicious. Poor guy! Regardless, Zuberi couldn't help but giggle. "And don't look at me as if I'm some mind reader... You can generally tell the tourists from the other sorts by the presence of a shirt decked in pineapples... but enough of that. It's nice to meet you too, Tavor."

"If you need a place to stay though, I can probably put up a hammock up in my wit' no problem. My parents have a bed and breakfast, but they're probably a bit full right now." It was a lie, but she was able to keep her tone pleasant enough. Her parents, though they certainly had a room aside for Lowlanders, never really cared for them. It would be kinder to Tavor if he were just.. kept away from any situation he'd feel uncomfortable in. After all, she wanted him close so she could interrogate him about this quest. Not now though.. she was throwing enough questions at him as it was.

[Kitty]

Actually he was an odd combination of both. In some ways he had grown up rather sheltered while in others quite the opposite and it had somehow left a rather large bit of his childhood naivety firmly planted in his mind. And, besides, if cannibals could exist, why couldn't pirates? It made an awful lot of sense to him and he'd keep the thought in mind and remember to be wary in case he came upon some rather suspicious characters here in the Midori. She was, quite obviously, not a scary pirate so that suspicion wouldn't linger when they were alone.

They were alone, weren't they? Thank the suits! Now maybe he could calm down enough to be able to speak like any normal, yet terribly soft spoken, person could. She was, after all, a rather comforting figure at the present moment... especially in her current awkwardness and the fact that she was trying so hard not to offend him. Murderous pirate cannibals didn't try and keep you from feeling horrid now did they?

T-that would be... lovely. I k-kind of... do better... one on one.

His small smile grew ever so slightly as he began to relax. Tavor really wasn't a hard card to win over. However, he wasn't entirely sure what to say beyond that.

[Nako]

Zuberi couldn't help but grin wide a his words, winking good-naturedly. "Yah, I kind of got that feeling from ya."

Hm. Here she was in the middle of an alley with some biped she hardly knew, hiding from society. Well! That certainly wouldn't do. Not to mention there was normally nothing interesting to be done in dark alleys unless someone was the sort for shady business. "Well... honest folk have no reason to be hidin' in the dark. Come along now; I'll show you where m'place is."

With the way things were set up, it wasn't particularly easy to get to her home completely unspotted, but at that time of day most people were either at market or attending some other business away from the outer streets. Zuberi's own home was only just outside the city... no more than a modern 'block', and only paces into the dense jungle. Still.. just a few paces was enough for the wild jungle to have overtaken the simple hut, growing outside and in some instances within the very walls and roof.

The inside was a dirt floor covered in grass weaved mats, with a pump faucet for water but no electricity. The walls were lined with shelves of... odd things in jars, and skulls of various cards. Some were painted with colors upon the ivory white, while others were draped with beads or shells. Overall.. it was a bizarre mix of 'eerie' with a genuine homey feel. Also, things were typically dust and cobweb free.

"Well... home sweet home." Zuberi stepped into the house, not bothering to shut the door as it was a bit crooked and wouldn't fully shut anyhow.