A Basket of Kats

[Aoi Shinu]

The sun had just begun to set when Hong Long emerged from her little cottage. She had been working hard, making her signature paper lanters to sell in town. She breathed in the fresh air deeply, allowing herself to stare into the many colors of the setting sun. Hong Long loved this time of day best. She loved the red and gold color that took over the sky just before the darkness came.

"What a perfect sunset," she said to herself with a soft sigh.

 

[Pixy Max]

Philosopher's Stone sighs a little as he takes his pack off to take a break. It was the first time he ever had to walk this much. Growing up he always was sitting on his mother's broom with her as she flew to where they needed to go. But now, he was on his own. His mother no longer had use for her fake little Philosopher's Stone and was more interested in finding a real one. Phil was a man now anyway, he had to find his place in this crazy world. Being on his own, making his own choices, not being told what to do every second by his mother. Something he use to wish for growing up. But now, he was wishing he was that little boy again, riding high in the air on the back of that broom. The night rides were the best, he felt like if he could just put his arms up high enough he could grab the stars.

"Walking all day hurts!" He yells at the sky, at the falling sun. As if it was the sun's fault. "Go faster! Leave! I don't want it day anymore, I want it night so I can stop walking." He pauses, sees a shadow in front of the falling sun. A tree? no, too small.. and there was something behind it. A building. Maybe they had food there? He could probably trade a potion he took from his mother's stash for something to eat. He puts his pack back on and heads towards the shadow, the closer he got, the clearer it got. And then, he saw a gem. He felt his heart beat a little faster for a moment, but then forced the feeling away when he notice she was a regular faekat.

"Hey stupid reg, this place have any food?" He points at the cottage. "I can give something for it. I am hungry."  

[Aoi Shinu]

Hong's dreamy face faltered when she heard the voice. Why would someone come to her home and be so rude? She turned around, her eyebrows furrowed, and sighed when she saw the male. Of course it was a baddie. They were always up to no good.

"Do you really think that's the way to get hospitality? By calling me names?" Hong crossed her arms over her chest, feeling robbed of this beautiful sunset by such a pest, "You should learn some manners sometime. You catch more flies with honey, after all."

She looked the baddie up and down for a minute. It was a shame he was one of their race. If not, she would have thought he was a very handsome male. His fur color reminded her a lot of the setting sun, just as her own did. For a second, she drifted off into a daydream, but then quickly snapped herself back out of it.

"Well? I'm waiting..." her natural need to help others was like a curse sometimes. She couldn't deny him her hospitality, but she would at least try to get him to ask her a little more nicely.  

[lysia_nyteblade]

((i don't have her cert yet >.>; wink )

She'd scrambled down from the tree she'd spent most the morning in. She'd been happily listening to the birds investigating all of this new place she'd found herself in. Her tail twitched behind her as she walked along, looking from one tree to the next.  

[Aoi Shinu]

For lysia:

Sparkle thrust her head out of the water, crystal-like droplets of water flying off of her hair and fur as she shook her head. She loved to swim in the lake around noon, when the water was just getting warm. She ran her fingers through her wet hair, and rung it out as she slowly walked out of the lake onto dry land.

"Aaah..." she sighed with contentment, "What a lovely day it is..."

The gorgeous Faekat opened her eyes and looked ahead. The woods were quiet today, save for a female a few feet away. She seemed to be exploring, and she was coming closer to the lake. Sparkle had never seen the young girl around the lake before, and she wondered if she was new around these parts.

"Hello!" she called out joyfully, "Hello there!"

 

[lysia_nyteblade]

Her attention was drawn to the lake ahead of her. A female ahead had spoken to her. FOr a moment she stopped and stared at the other Faekat, green eyes peering with a hint of curiosity. Satisfied that the other female seemed to be friendly she smiled and waved in return. "Ah Hello to ye.. Tis a Lovely day." Her voice was sweet, laced thickly with her Irish accent. Quickening her pace, she made her way over to investigate the other fae. "Had a wee bit o' swim dinnae ya?"  

[Aoi Shinu]

((pffft! Lysia! I loooove her already lol))

When Sparkle heard the little reg speak, her ears perked up under her mop of wet hair. She was so adorable with that little accent!

"Ooooh my! You must be new around here."

Sparkle smiled brightly at the pretty reg and nodded along with her, "Yep, you're right. It's a gorgeous day! March is so great, isn't it? It starts to get warmer and greener, the ice melts away, and the lake is open for swimming!"

Her fishlike tail moved around her body, spraying a bit of water off of it with the movement.

"Ooops!" she giggled as the droplets landed on the stranger, "Haha, sorry about that. I'm Sparkle."  

[lysia_nyteblade]

((lol i'm glad ^W^ I'm havling loads of fun playing her.. some times she's prone to calling things "it" rather than he or she though... but some times she gets it just off the voice what gender the person is))

Brigid chuckled and nodded some. "Indeed and the wee folk go about breathing life into this and that waking the plants." She said nodding. Clearly she had long ago bought into certian myths. And who could blame her with parents that had gone missing at such a young age.

Her ears flicked and her wings fluttered as the water droplets landed on her. "Pay it no mind lass, tis nothing wrong with a bit o' water. I be not made of sugar so I'm afraid it won't make me melt."  

[Aoi Shinu]

She laughed again, nodding her head in approval, "That's a good thing! All the water fae are going to be coming out soon now that it's getting warmer. This little lake can become quite a little splash fest. I didn't catch your name."

She tilted her head to the side, violet eyes sparkling as she waited for the young lady to introduce herself.  

[lysia_nyteblade]

Name.. right.. Sparkle had given hers and she hadn't introduced herself yet... Smiling she held out a hand. "Ah.. I forget sometimes.. I'm Brigid... Brigid Reev." She eyed the water. "I imagine lots of water fae would be happily splashing about already.. Dinnae think they'd bee too keen on havin the water all frozen from them."  

[Pixy Max]

Phil mimicked Hong's arm crossing. All he was hearing from her was the whining of a reg wanting him to be more good like her. Typical, he thought, a typical annoying goody regular. As she seem to get lost for a moment, Phil oddly didn't remark on how stupid the spacing out looks, rather he just silently watched her. but then she spoke again, she wanted something? The idea that maybe she was asking for a 'please' never crossed his mind. He takes of his pack and looks through it. So many potions, but most of them would do things a reg would never want. He finds a sleeping one, this could maybe have good uses to it.

"Here, it gets you to sleep fast. Just add is to a drink, just a little works for a long time. Not that hard to make so it isn't worth much." He holds the small glass bottle out for her to take. He figured a reg wouldn't just run off with it without giving something in return.  

[Aoi Shinu]

For Lysia:

Sparkle took Brigid's hand, and shook it heartily, "I'm very pleased to meet you."

Sparkle stretched her arms up over her head. The day was perfect and not to be wasted, she felt. She figured the discovery of a new friend meant they should find something to do. This new girl hadn't seemed to be accompanied by anyone today.

"Ok, let's go!" Sparkle spat out suddenly, not bothering to tell Brigid where it was they were going, or even warn her that she wanted to go anywhere, "Come on now, this day isn't here to waste!"

Sparkle skipped off toward the trees, simply expecting Brigid to follow her.




~~~~~




For Roddy:

Hong's head tilted to one side when he held the little bottle out to her. A sleeping potion? Where would he get his hands on that? She stepped closer to him, just a bit, her eyes fixated on the little bottle. She couldn't deny that she was intrigued by this. And she figured that even if she didn't need it, some poor kat suffering of insomnia might. She could always trade it in town for the colored paper she used for her lantern making.

"Umm..." she reached her paw out and took the bottle, "This is very interesting. Thank you..."

She really didn't know what else to say. She hadn't seen it as a bartering strategy. Instead, she kind of saw it as a gift. After all, she hadn't thought to charge him for her hospitality. She sighed and turned around so that her back was facing him. She closed her eyes momentarily, clutching the little bottle tightly in her paw. Just let him in and get it over with, she told herself silently.

"Come on then," she half-muttered as she walked to the front door of her cottage and into her tiny home.

The inside of the cottage was small and quaint. It looked to be just one room with a kitchen off to the side. The kitchen was nothing more than a tiny little table and a wood-burning stove. There was a basket of fresh vegetables on the table. In the main room was a big worn-out sofa and a small work bench and desk. The dim lighting came from dozens of paper lanterns hung strategically from the ceiling.

 

[lysia_nyteblade]

Brigid Looked after Sparkle a moment. Grinning, she scrambled after her giggling. "Not to waist oh aye... but where we off to now lass?" It took her a bit of effort but she soon caught up to this new friend as they headed towards the trees. "Must be knowin where we be headed.. Wouldn't wan get lost now."  

[Aoi Shinu]

"Hmmm...I guess I never really thought about getting lost so much! I usually just make my way to the river and follow it to the lake. My home is lakeside, after all." she spoke happily, obviously not worried about such things at all.

"But...I do think I know a place you might really like! It should be close enough to Spring time now that it's bloomed...hmmm..."

Sparkle trailed off and made a sudden turn. Obviously, she had not been heading in the direction of any place in particular. Now, though, she was.