| Fire Trails and Candle Tails | ||
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Liyara isn't the type to feel like she missed out on action; her entire schtick has basically been sending adventurers off to do her dirty work for years. While it was nice to get out and burn things to the ground every once in a while, she doesn't feel like she's missing anything now. In fact, she's acquired and been listening to some modern music lately, so if anything she feels like she's spent her time well. Where she comes from, a good song is still a rarity worth appreciating, after all. A creative nomad MP3 player now rests in her bag of holding, a single earbud trailing up and out of the pouch at her side and into her right ear. She's walking down the street with her eyes closed, apparently not at all concerned about things getting in her way. And ... she's singing. "We're not happy until everyone knows we're sick~" Her voice may have a high timbre, but since she's letting herself get lost in the music there's this just-below-hearing bass tone that accompanies it. Almost like she's got a backup singer hiding somewhere. "And that's just how we like it. We've hurt bad enough, right? We've earned it." Someone's in a mood. If it was just a dragon-lady walking down the street, that would be fine. Everyone's allowed a little happiness now and again, even if they're being inconsiderate and not watching where they're going. It is worth noting, however, that four or five shadowy figures are tailing her at some distance. The forms look humanoid, but they're very good at ducking into alleys or remaining on the rooftops just out of sight, so they're tough to identify. And Liyara? ... She doesn't seem the perceptive type. ...It's probably fine.
Do the Candletails follow any sort of calendar or schedule? It seems like they take on a bit of freelancing, but aside from that their whole heaven and earth feels just a bit out of touch. Chiffon likely spun up some reasonable reason to tear around the city like demons. And Chiff is... probably getting a bit too into it. Sacrificing any stretches in a straight race to take onto the tops of cars, ledges, and otherwise unreasonable paths that get a few seconds of air here and there. He glances over his shoulder to check on Calwa before making some 'modifications' to his course. At this speed he completely oblivious to the crew following Liyara. But it's hard to miss her on the road proper. The galloping case of lion-sized zoomies comes to a halt with a few hops, and a skid of claws tearing at pavement a bit before he jostles to a stop, panting, circling somewhere in time to give a greeting to Liyara with the arrival of Calwa. Before that, though, he hollars. "Guess who's here~?"
Chiffon is very much aware of the one whom he has picked a fight with, no doubt. Calwa has been sprinting continentally for years as a courier. Where Chiffon isn't afraid to take 'shortcuts', Calwa isn't afraid to take the more complicated route. That a quadruped is able to parkour so well over objects and through obstacles, flipping or rolling as needed to fit, fly, or land without breaking momentum should merit some level of impressiveness. One very such maneuver has him turning a corner onto the street by leaping up onto the wall opposite the desired turn, running along it briefly, then jumping into the direction of his shifted path. Calwa is hot on Chiffon's flank. The air displacement from the speed alone pushes his spiky black mane down, along with his ears, as the competitive race burns ever brighter. "You don't have a chance!" taunts the smaller of the two candletails who holds back just enough to have reserve energy for a surprise burst of speed. So focused is Calwa on the little game and on Chiffon just before him that he doesn't really see Liyara's shadows, or even Liyara! Chiffon's halted movement throws off the racing Sanuye who thinks to leap over the larger and does so by kicking off of a parked car on the side of the street. Midair, there's no amount of realization or reaction that can fully prevent the oncoming collision. The only saving grace is that, being as they are, Calwa is able to twist his spine midair to rotate his form; if he does collide and cause a tumble, he'll likely be the one to eat the pavement beneath the still unrecognized potential victim. The one time they met, Calwa was far too traumatized to mentally be aware of Liyara's identifying characteristics.
What is Liyara's reaction to a red liondog with a bad case of the zoomies? Well, she doesn't stop walking, that's for sure. "Don't tell the others, but it's all getting old... I mean, how many more times must our story be told~?" Or singing, apparently. At least not right away. In fact, even though Chiffon took some time to circle around and call out to her, Liyara will still walk straight into the poor candletail. Whether she bumps into him or he dodges out of the way, that's when she'll stop and open her eyes for a moment. "Hmm?" The dragoness looks to Chiffon and smiles brightly. You can tell it's a real smile because it doesn't look like it was perfectly crafted over a hundred years to make her seem like a radiant sun princess or whatever it is she fancies herself sometimes. She just looks happy to see him. "Oh, hello! I didn't see you th--!" It turns out you can't see *much* with your eyes closed. Like the second Sanuye coming in from a different angle and hopping over the first. Everything in a ten-foot radius around Liyara goes dim for an instant, as if the light around the trio was just too tired to perform its job today. Liyara's eyes have just enough time to widen, and her left hand *barely* starts to inch down towards her dagger... before she sees Calwa. A very perplexed and slightly worried look crosses her face an instant before Calwa does, and then there's the the recognizable sound of an impact as Liyara is just completely bowled over. The hand that *was* going for her dagger decides to dart out to the pavement as she tumbles with her newfound 'companion', and Liyara extricates herself from the pile the two would likely form before it can really come to that. A blazing palm grips the concrete and alters her trajectory enough that she slams ungracefully to a stop against a nearby newspaper dispenser for 'The Twisted Gazette'. Leaving a brief trail of fire behind her and everything. Clang! "...there." Liyara manages to finish her sentence as she reaches up to rub ruefully at the back of her head. "...Bahamut's blood, you're like cats but bigger." Yes. Yes they are.
If they were pure cat, Chiffon would probably hold his ground instead of doing the side-step-brush. It helps that there's a little bit of momentum left over from the chase scene. And a few wiggles to wear out yet. "We're kind of all over the place! Though it is good to see you without trouble on the tail, for once. Hey, Ka--" He turns his head in time to see Calwa's trajectory, bolder and brasher than his, even. What does he win in this case? A head-on collision and a new friend! Probably. The lunk quickly paces back and forth between the pair, checking for injuries of the body or otherwise. "The comparison has been made. We're, uh, sorry about that. And they don't make insurance for what we are..." Chiffon thumps a paw on the ground. "You two okay?"
Calwa, on the other hand, has quite a theatrical wipeout. Tumbling and rolling, a bounce or two amidst the carnage, is ended only by the earth-shattering and bone-chilling...landing on all four feet? Calwa looks barely scuffed up at all for the display had and, in fact, walks away from the crash without ever coming to a stop as if the whole thing was intentional. It wasn't, but... "By Gaia, I'm s-s-so sorry about that. Are you all right?" stammers the smaller while brushing up against Chiffon on the way over a bit closer to Liyara's position. Wide-eyed and mortified, a look is given to Chiffon of a bit-too-much worry. "If you're hurt, I can h- I can he- I can treat your wounds." Yeah, a four-legged doctor? That's...probably not very believable, even if there is truth behind what is offered. Even looking directly at Liyara, Calwa has yet to connect any dots.
"I'm fine." Liyara says, looking far more put upon than she sounds. She landed on her rump, dragon tail peeking out behind her dress, and she's still straightening her hair; she has to untangle any that got twisted around her horns, after all. "Before we went to find you, I got hit by an actual truck." She pauses, cricking her neck, and a copy of the newspaper falls atop her head. There's a moment, before her muffled voice finds its way through the paper. "...A Ford F-150 if memory serves, and it always does." After the woman pulls the paper off her head she stands, using her tiny, flapping wings for support rather than bracing herself on anything. Those things have NO business giving her any kind of flight, but magic will be magic. "But it's good to see you up and about. You were in pretty bad shape, last I saw." While Calwa may not recognize her, Liyara is genetically incapable of believing someone could EVER forget her, so she doesn't bother re-introducing herself. Instead, she glances down at the paper in her hands, and gives a bit of a laugh. Well... she seems ok! Distracted, maybe, but ok.
"That's the sound of okay, ten-four and all that." Chiffon laughs and changes his focus to nosing at Calwa in doting, fussing little ways. "You already said you're sorry, so don't worry about that. I consider myself durable, but I could take a lesson or two...." He glances over at Liyara. "A truck, huh? Are you just that sturdy?" Or is there something else to that? He can't help his raw curiosity. "I really owe you for that. I mean, I guess I sort of paid up front, but it doesn't feel like it was enough!" Chiffon laughs and sticks his tongue out. "Actually, we're still kind of looking for steady work... I'm happy to put favors on the line." So there's a good rapport there, at least. While he's gesturing with his paw, he looks back to his companion to see how he's holding up.
Chiffon is one of the rare individuals that Calwa opens up to and can be himself around. Even still, Calwa has yet to really discuss anything about what happened. He has clammed up pretty solidly and done his best to not think about it. Liyara's familiarity added to the things she says is enough to tip off the smaller candletail. He's not a dim flame by any means. He can feel the blood draining from his face and, for a moment, feels almost like he's going to faint. A wobble on his feet accompanies his sudden silence. Not a single shy stutter is elicited. Chiffon keeps on talking as if this woman is an old friend (though Chiffon is much more friendly and open compared to himself) leaving Calwa aswim in deep swirling thoughts. His lips draw together tightly, for what the design of his muzzle allows, while his quivering eyes dart from one to the other in loose focus. His ears lay back, his head lowers just a bit, and his tail remains lightly curled upward yet down so low it brushes over the ground. "...so, you... ...you were... ...back when..." comes a forced whisper directed to the dragonlady despite eyeing Chiffon for confirmation.
"Am I?" Liyara parrots Chiffon's question about her durability, glancing at the firelion. He was there, but she supposes she was the only one that got a good look at the truck before she melted it to slag. "..." She lets that thoughtful look linger for a moment, and then offers a broad grin. "Who could say? More extensive testing is required." ... That's a non-answer. Or an invitation. The shadowy figures from before slowly one-by-one gather on the rooftop above the trio, silent and actually quite literally cloaked in shadow. Their features are indistinguishable. Liyara doesn't notice them. She glances back at the newspaper in her hands - it reads 'RIOT AT THE USUAL RESTAURANT'. Under the headline is an image of the Usual's owner, Yoiko Hibiki, looking bored and/or frustrated while patrons are tied up to various chairs. Liyara memorizes the page, flips to the next one, memorizes that, and then arches an eyebrow. Huh. So that's what all of that fuss was about earlier. She just completely misses the visual cues from Calwa, reminding everyone that yes, she is incredibly imperceptive, and more than a bit self-absorbed. Until she curls the paper down to get a better look at him when he's being so quiet. "Hmm? You're looking a little wobbly there. Are you sure you're fully healed?" ... Oblivious.
"Hmmm. If I had a certain someone on hand to make sure I didn't get too out of sorts, that might be amenable. It's good to know your limits. But finding them is a trick." Chiffon prattles on with the sort of weird fondness that is token to his Blue Mage nature. He's still at Calwa's side, though his attention may wander a little bit. "Heeey now, you're here now. With us. Whole and hale." Chiff's learned not to push on this one too much. Not yet. The moment will come, he thinks. "She's a friend," he amends, and goes for the scruff. Hey, if nothing else will calm him down, cat's first bet. Of course, he's so focused on this that he doesn't really pick up sight or shade of Liyara's stalkers either.
How much surprise, then, is there for Chiffon to get a very brief nuzzling in return before Calwa pulls away. Might Liyara be at all prepared for the incoming sneak attack? But, yes, there's little warning had before the smaller of the two gives a small bounce forward before rearing up on his hindlegs, forelegs spread wide, almost as if to attack! That is not at all the intention, however, as the firelionwolfthing fully aims to give the lady what surely passes as a hug, possibly around the shoulders, while intending to follow that up with a slide of the muzzle against neck for a cheekrub. Well, unless he's deflected. Otherwise there will be a bit more muss and possibly some shedding even just after the powerful mage gets herself all orderly once more.
"My limits?" Chiffon's ready acceptance of her answer is not what Liyara was expecting; nobody actually seems to trust her here, unlike back home. It's kind of nice and touching in an innocent, nostalgic sort of way. "If I find that I have any, I'll be sure to let you know." Her smirk leaves a pronounced incisor visible, fang-like. She is the perfect picture of overconfidence. She never stood a chance. There are a large pair of firemane paws atop her shoulders only a second after she knows what's coming, and then she is being catted at by an awfully big cat. Ish. "Wh-- buh!" Both of her hands go out in a half-flail, her entire body tensing, before she sighs and deflates, letting one hand just pat the not!Cat on the back of the head. "Ah... Yes. Um. It is good to see you, too." She calmly reaches down, trying to grab Calwa by the middle and lift him up over her the way a regular person would with a regular-sized cat. If successful, it will be quite a ridiculous sight, as she is a tiny little thing, and Calwa is *not* small by comparison. In fact, he's nearly up to her shoulder when he's on all fours. And yet up he goes... "Maybe a little warning next time, coffee cat." She's stern-faced for a moment, then offers a broad grin, and coughs a little before setting him down if she managed to pick him up in the first place. Red fur and hair both fall off of her in droves now. Someone had a run in with a shedding machine.
Chiffon offers a toothy grin; there's a spirit in Liyara that he's fond of. The dragon, of course, but something else. That line of banter must be cut short though; he can't ignore Calwa's plight and only moves a little after him before he goes for a second impact into the woman. The larger of the two Sanuye sighs, chuckles, and leans back to groom his paws while the scene unfolds. "... he's looking a lot healthier, huh? You'll get used to him. At least, I hope so. The more friends we can have in this place the better..." Content with the way this has unfolded, for the moment, he leans back and takes a lazy scent of the air. If they've caused a little scene... well, at least it's a heartwarming one.
There is a moment of thankfulness -- done most importantly (for Calwa) without words -- yet the sentiment turns to confusion as he is lifted and put aside. The why of it isn't questioned just yet, though; Calwa, instead, bashfully splays his ears. "Apologies. I-" He's not ashamed of his action. He's simply a little embarrassed. He escapes the spotlight by whispering a quick 'thank you' before turning around to rejoin Chiffon's side where he can layer on some affection and let him do the talking instead. There will be time for deep discussion later. Given his removal from the center of things, Calwa indulges in the scented presence of his partner, but even as he leans in...there's an involuntary shudder that quickly shakes his head and shoulders before rippling almost instantly down his spine. "...that's strange, Chiff," he comments as a familiar sense creeps up the back of his neck. It's almost like when he was hunted by the Black Hand. That feeling you get before they start shooting. But, well, those people have disappeared without a trace since that day. It's clear, perhaps, to Chiffon that Calwa is trying to brush off this 'strange' notion despite whatever it is bothering him deeply on a subconscious level.
"It's quite alright. I am rather charming, after all, it's to be expected." It's hard to tell if Liyara's being sarcastic or not - and that might worry some people. But she moves on quickly, murmuring something under her breath and gesturing to herself before her dress seems to just sort of pulse, and all the hair and fur falls off of it. There's still some in her hair and on her face and hands, but that's what showers are for. "...Come, let's head to the Usual. We can talk there - and I'm curious to see if everyone is still tied up." ... Wait, what? The figures on the rooftop recede at that, apparently not keen to be visible while their targets are on the move.
"You have to be a bit odd to make it around here, I think. Although you're charming just the way you are." Chiffon pays off a compliment, flicking his tail and stretching out while he quietly embers. Calwa's return is welcomed with a lick or two while everyone gets up, cleaned, and resettles their dignity. At least the cats aren't trying to handle Liyara's grooming for her yet. Of the three, he's probably somewhere between Calwa and Liyara when he's not on alert. He's far more in tune to his partner's demeanor though, and his own hackles raise a bit when he gets that odd feeling. A little nod is given to Liyara and he starts a slow pace. "Now that sounds like a story. Beginning, middle, or end though...?" He tips his head to the side, ears standing back up.
Calwa may not be at the forefront of conversation, but such is the life of an introvert. He's actually quite content to fall back and pad along following after, a bit of a cooldown compared to the royal hell of a carved up path the two made getting to this point today. Tail brushing light against Chiffon's as he falls slightly behind, the candletail turns to look over his shoulder down the sidewalk, across the street, and passes a glance upwards over the windows of the buildings beside them. His pointed ears listen to the breeze and any news that it carries. His upper lip raises just a bit as he gets a good smell of the air. That strange feeling isn't really there anymore and he doesn't sense anything out of the ordinary. The courier now realizes that he has completely halted in this thoughtful checking of his surroundings and hastens to catch back up with them with a light brushing in against Chiffon. Calwa takes comfort in the company of those that speak even if he's not always a huge speaker himself.
As the trio walks, Liyara looks thoughtful at Chiffon's question and thus misses Calwa's temporary absence entirely. "Well... it's a bit tough to describe without some context." But where to begin? "...Have you ever heard of John Wayne?" What. | |
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