Silhouettes (Nako)

[Kitty]

He almost sighed, almost ... he wasn't really sure if the question he wanted to ask was truly appropriate or not but he really wanted to know and Zuberi had been so honest with him thus far. He twitched his tail under the water, his feathers looking strange beneath the surface. He stared at his tail for a moment as he collected his thoughts and organized them in a coherent manner. This was an ... awkward subject for sure.

Why does ... nearly everyone seem to have something against lowlanders?

Slowly he turned his gaze from his submerged tail and back over to the squirrel. He felt a little bad about asking her such a thing but, well ... he felt he could trust her to give him a fair and true answer. A little rotting wasn't enough to hate a region as a whole, was it? That just seemed a little .... petty to him. Then again he'd never met a lowlander or even another mixed like himself so he didn't have much to go on.

[Nako]

At the question, Zuberi tensed as if she were about to receive a physical blow. That was a tender question to ask, for sure, but what was startling is what instinctual responses it invoked within her. Something else that made her uncomfortable was how... she wondered why he didn't realize the obvious. No, Zuberi was not totally comfortable around Lowlanders. If she had come in contact with his wounds while she had least expected to, she might have reacted badly to it. The stigma against Lowlanders and their rot was just too strong.

Zuberi had been wringing her paws so hard that the pinks of her webbing was turning white. Quickly she set her hands to her side and took in a deep breath. Still, no words came out and the silence drew out uncomfortably. Tavor wanted an answer, and Zuberi knew she would be unable to give him one that wouldn't hurt in some way.

"Tavor... it's difficult for anyone to see a creature... that is literally falling apart and not think that there is something -wrong-... Something.. contagious. It is unnatural for every region except in the Lowlands for.. skin and muscle to fall off the bone." Despite herself, her hair stood on end. She was growing obviously upset by this question, resting her head in her hands. "Tavor... the first time I was ever -close- to a Lowlander.. I ran into one.. and she literally fell apart all over me. Skin. Ooze... the smell." She was trying not to be horrified, but it was hard to hide. "I screamed and threw myself onto the ground as if someone lit me on fire. I was raised... the suspicions... I was -afraid- I would catch whatever she had. You have to live with the rot. I suppose you're used to it... but for everyone else.. it's horrifying. Unlike most people, I don't think it's the fault of the Lowlanders, but the general stigma... I can't help but understand it at least a little bit."

She was staring at the water now, staring at her own reflection. "I've met mean... nasty Lowlanders, Tavor.. but I've also met nice ones. I've met nice PURE regioned Lowlanders... but... I suppose a bad reputation will always stick more than a good one will."

[Kitty]

He watched her for awhile but turned his gaze away, staring at his tail as it twitched beneath the water. He continued to listen, white ears twitching every now and again as her tone shifted. As she got to the part about the lowlander she met his ears flipped back and rested against his skull, that was a bit disturbing ... but he;d seen worse in he city. It was amazing what people did when they thought no one was watching.

He sighed softly and looked out over the water.

The only thing is ... all it takes is the brown fur. I've ... seen the things that happen to even mixes with just the fur ... no rot. That's why ... I'm confused.

He folded his arms over his knees and set his head down on them, keeping his gaze from returning to the squirrel, he already felt terribly guilty about asking her and making her so terribly uncomfortable and he didn't wish to make it worse. He'd just ... have to make it up to her somehow before he left to continue his travels. He wasn't sure how ... but he'd think of something.

[Nako]

She was quiet for a while. Was Tavor really so naive? It was the mere thought of someone having sex with someone rotting in the first place, the deplorable conditions in the Lowlands that brought a cold chill down a person's spine.. their proclivity to all things dirty and unpleasant...

Zuberi stood up and sighed, ringing out her tail. There really was no answer that she could give him... none that he couldn't learn without merely seeing the world. "Lets not spoil such a day with these questions, Tavor. Come now. Lets go fix some dinner."

Things were getting too deep... the questions were too uncomfortable. Tavor was getting... too close. For a woman that so craved to find kinship in another, she found it odd that she now craved her solitude. People who came to visit her... never stayed as long as Tavor. It was with mixed feelings that she sensed that the time was soon to come that the Lowland mix was to leave. After all, he had a journey to complete, and Zuberi had a feeling that a journey of her own was soon coming.

(Might be a good time to do a time skip. =D ))

[Kitty]

His ears twitched as he heard movement next to him, and the sound of water hitting water from when she wrung out her tail, but gave him no answer beyond a sigh. It hadn't been entirely unexpected, the whole ... change the subject and move on thing, but he couldn't help but feel briefly disappointed. He got to his feet and turned, following her as requested. He curled his tail just enough to keep it from dragging on the ground and just let the feathers drip dry ... he'd have to groom them properly later or they'd look terribly ratty.

The feeling didn't linger long, it never did, but he couldn't help but get this little feeling that he was starting to over stay his welcome a bit, and he didn't want that ... not at all. He helped clean up after dinner and then paused briefly before peering at her.

Zuberi, I think ... I should head off. It's ... better for me to travel at night.

[Nako]

It had been best for Tavor to leave. Zuberi was quite vexed by many things going on in her mind. She'd saw him off in the proper manner, wishing him the best and packing him some foods that would last him a few days in his journey... but for some reason, she was relieved that she had regained her hermitage. She missed the company at times... especially the fact that when she spoke out loud in her hut, there was actually a voice that responded back. Yes... Zuberi's hut was a peaceful, lonely place.

So lonely in fact, that Zuberi had to take a journey of her own to ease her mind. She'd been gone weeks... months... frankly it had been the longest she'd been away from home. Of course, the heart of Midori would always beat within Zuberi's chest, and it drew her back to the sandy shores, happy to be home.

It looked the same... but something had changed that Zuberi could not quite put her finger on... save for the fact that the sky was not quite as bright as she had remembered it. Then again, it was hard to imagine the sunny sky being quite as beautiful as she remembered it after the suffering she had seen.

Her home was just as broken down as she had remembered it, and the layer of dust from her absence was utterly stifling. She hadn't bothered to clean it for days... she hardly saw the point. For some reason she found herself unhappy with the home around her, and unhappy with what she was doing with her life. It had grown monotonous... meaningless. She needed... no... her entire village needed to be washed clean...


((emo emo emo! That's about as emo as Zub gets, I think XD I'm not going to do the storm yet. We are going to try to get this rp to 100 and then I'm going to make a new topic entirely.))

[Kitty]

It had been awhile since he'd come back, he'd been rather busy with everything since they'd all come here on a vacation, a brief one, and had first introduced Zuberi to the trio. This time around he was here on ... less than fun reasons, at least as far as he knew. After all, this trip hadn't been his idea ... Brokat had come up with it. It had been quite the surprise for the rat mix when his meekest child had approached him and voiced his intentions. He'd talked the triple out of heading out alone and had also made him see why it might be a bad idea to suddenly drop yourself on someone's doorstep.

At least this seemed like a healthy decision, not like his sister. It was difficult for both of them to watch the girl's decent into such destructive behaviors, even more so because neither of them could do a thing to stop her. And Nova, he was doing well for himself even if he was drifting away. He had his own dreams though, and he was set on them ... and Tavor wouldn't stand in the way of them even if it meant he'd lose the canine entirely. All in all ... children were depressing for the mix, and this trip would prove ot make that a little more .... final.

Brokat followed along behind his mother, not quite sure what to say to him that hadn't already been said. There wasn't anything in the Capitol for someone like him and his encounter with that Tiger had made him realize that. He loved his family, he really did ... but he needed to get away from them. It wasn't healthy to be someone's shadow your whole life, was it?

The pair approached the hut where the squirrel lived, hoping she was around, and awake of course. It was dark, but he didn't think the Midori native would be asleep quite yet. He'd feel utterly horrid if they managed to wake her up, but he lifted a hand to knock on her door any way.

[Nako]

There was... a horrible sound on the other side of the door. Something that sounded something like a bander.. but more as if it were on crack. Then it appeared.. a ragmop looking creature with a mouth of teeth and a bad attitude. Snarling, it lunged...


"Gah! Git back in here, ya leetle bastard!" The door was knocked right off its hinges by the squirrel that came bounding out, broom in hand. With an ease that was.. strangely practiced, the broom came down on the purple mop with a resounding 'smack' before scraping it back into the door. "What did I tell ye about attacking people at t'e door! Git, git git!" But the creature was already scrambling back into the house and under a table without need for more 'encouragement'.

Zuberi turned to see who it was, one eye rolling blindly white while the other focused on the figure before her. "Brokat! Ma' favorite leetle Fluff t'ing! An' look..." Gleefully, she reached out to fluff the little fledgeling wings upon his back. Her smile threatened to split her face as she then looked up to Tavor. "How -good- of you to visit! But it is so late! Have you been travelling all day?"

[Kitty]

Brokat's little, tasseled rat ears perked forward at the odd sounds coming from behind the door .... but the appearance of the.... thing, scared the living daylights out of him. So much so that every hair on his body stood on end, instantly doubling his size, and he turned, attempting to leap into the arms of his mother. All he managed to do was knock the rat-eagle over and maul him lightly with his talons before Zuberi chased the thing off. When she came up to him his olive eyes were wide and he was clinging to Tavor, but he did manage a sheepish little smile and a little thumping of his tail when he realized he'd just been frightened by a bander.

His tail picked up a more steady beat when she fussed over his wings, he'd always liked Zuberi... even if she was a little odd.

Tavor has been startled as well, the feathers on his tail fanning out, but what scared him more was the sudden flying ball of lowland fluff that decided to scramble up his body and bowl him over. He let out a startled squeak and then an oof as he feel ungracefully on his rear. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around his obviously frightened offspring and breathed a sigh of relief when the taloned boy called down. Those talons freaking hurt.

He offered his usual small, mildly shy smile to the squirrel.

It's... good to see you as well. Kat ... wanted to ask you something .... in person and.... by the Queens, when did you get that thing?

He made a movement with his head that indicated the vicious ball of fluff hiding under a table.

[Nako]

"Oh... just a few months back. Picked it up from that ol' bander shop in the Capital. I got another one that be much more amenable."Turning, she put her door back on its hinge and smiled broadly at the two. "Well, don' just stand out here in the dark! You'll catch a cold! Come in!" Catch a cold. Hah. In high 70 degree weather that seemed unlikely.

Gesturing them in with the urgency that any busybody woman would convey, she bustled over to the hearth and threw kindling into the coals to coax a hot fire. "I'll have us a pot o' tea in no time, m'dearies! Are you two hungry? There are biscuits on the table. Come on in and tell auntie Zuberi what is on ye minds! And little Brokat... feel free to ask away! Don' worry, I don' have to be looking at ye to hear what ye be seyin' little man!" She chuckled, pouring water into the pot. If she had been sleeping, Zuberi made no indication of being bleary eyed, or inconvenienced in any manner. No surprise visit from friends could ever be considered an inconvenience.