The voyage to Abu Dhabi was rather dull. Despite Mave's claim of adequate funds, they traveled on a cargo ship and shared a small cabin near the crew bunks. The scenery was mostly the sand of the Himaat desert and the occasional glimpse of a caravan crawling through the wastes. And while Tulani had plenty to keep herself busy playing 'kite' (flying ahead to map the wind) since it was an older sail-powered airship, Nicora had to settle for card and board games. Mave spent a lot of time just smoking her pipe and meditating as well. After several days of travel, a glittering city appeared ahead of them.
Nicora, being the industrious Eeee that she is, has found a way to supplement their funds. She's taken up to card gambling with some of the crew, from the simple three card pick, to straight card games. She doesn't always win, since that would be obvious, but she doesn't do too badly given her own skill at the sleight of hand (and targeting crew that are drunk). So, she's made a small bit of pocket money for food and basics by now and has taken to sitting on the upper deck in a rough chair, half-reclined with her feet gripping the rail for stability. "Nothing like a little card game to fatten the purse," she remarks to Mave as she twirls one of the cards between her fingers.
"You are practically a gypsy, Nicora," Mave says between puffs. Ahead them, Tulani drifts in the air and signals back with her wings as to which way the wind is going to blow. As an actual airshipman, the Sphynx has probably already earned back her passage fee. One of the many airfields of Abu Dhabi is ahead; a smaller one, for smaller or less important airships, perhaps. But it does seem to be closer to the nicer part of the city.
Nicora flicks the card at Mave. "I was raised a gypsy. I use my wits, you use you ti ... hey, there's Tulani!" she teases, grinning.
The captain calls for landing stations, which means all the rest of the crew goes to work as well - leaving the two Eeee to pack. An hour later they are in the city. Tulani pats her purse after being paid for her services, and Mave notes, "Try not to dawdle. Our destination is in the Merchant's Quarter, past the bazaar."
"What awaits us there?" Nicora asks as she double-checks her packing. She knows a lot of the tricks pick-pockets use, so takes some time to secure her possessions. "And I never dawdle, I linger. There is a difference. Also, dinner is on Tulani," she quips.
"I know how you like to shop," Mave notes. "Try to restrain yourselves."
The lanes between vendors are wide enough to avoid crowding, and the hawking is done at a much more reasonable volume (probably because almost a quarter of the shoppers and merchants appear to be Lapi). Reptiles and felines of various sorts make up the bulk of the crowd, along with Savanites - some of which are dressed quite richly, despite wearing slave collars, and seem unattended.
Nicora walks along, looking here and there. As usual she can't help herself and eyes the Savanites as she passes them, but she at least resists the urge to pinch one on the bottom. "Do you speak Khattan, Mave?" Nicora asks, her ears flicking about as she listens to the various bartering. "Ooo, that poor lapi just accepted a bad deal..."
"Of course," the Yodhinala says, and deliberately detours away from a cluster of jewelers and costumers into the Farmer's Market area. There are even more cheetahs here, along with Lapis and a roving cluster of Rath'ani. There aren't many scaled sorts, at least not in the produce area. Tulani voices a small complaint about not being able to see some of the jewelry.
"We're broke, aren't we?" Nicora asks as they continue on. She's a bit disappointed by not seeing the jewelry, but seeing the cats is almost as nice. This time as she passes one of the savanites, she runs her fingers lightly across his backside; something she could easily claim was an accident.
The slave nearly drops the basket of potatoes he was carrying as a result! "We have adequate funds," Mave insists. "I just do not want you spending your time gawking at shiny things until we are settled in, because.." Mave says, then stops abruptly (nearly causing several collisions) and stares at a particular Savanite.
Nicora's brow arches up and she peers around Mave to see what she's looking at.
The woman that has caugh Mave's attention is quite tall, and dressed very well. Two Lapi farmers are vying for her favor, presenting their best produce and trying to undercut one another's prices.
"Friend of yours?" Nicora whispers in Mave's ear.
A small train of more slave-looking Savanites stand with her, carrying large whicker baskets in their arms and on their backs.
"Looks busy and important. Lots of servants," Nicora adds as she slinks around Mave and tries to catch more of their conversation in either sign or verbal.
"An acquaintance," Mave notes. "She may not remember me, though." The Yodh patiently waits for the transaction to be concluded, as the Savanite selects several melons from both of the farmers, once they've reached the lowest prices they're willing to offer.
"Going to introduce us? Or planning to try and avoid her?" Nicora asks. she also quickly looks over her shoulder to make sure Tulani hasn't wandered off.
The tall Savanite hasn't really signed anything at all, but merely nodded occasionally while the Lapis extolled the virtues of their melons (and creatively derided their competitor with backhanded compliments). But the woman holds the purse, and pays out the shekels while her porters fill their baskets.
"She must be important if she doesn't even have to speak and get them to haggle down," Nicora remarks. "Or it could be how she holds herself; act important and people think you are."
The Sphynx is still with them, just watching a friendly exchange between two nearby merchants - while their respective attendants engage in silent Khatta flirtation.
"She is a chef," Mave notes. "Merely an assistant cook when I knew her, but I saw that she had potential." Once the transaction is done and the cheetah is looking for her next stop, Mave clears her throat, and says, "Hikmat, you have grown into a fine woman," in Khattan. The Savanite turns to look at Mave with wide eyes and a suddenly kittenish expression. She refrains from breaking her aura of authority though, and bows deeply to Mave. "Mother of my friend, what a rare honor it is to see you again. The years have been kinder to you than to I," she signs.
Nicora refrains for laughing at the exchange and instead just smiles. "Ahah, the mother of her friend. More of Mave's brood abound. And a chef! That is ... completely lost on me, a vampire," she thinks wryly. She doesn't interrupt the reunion of friends, though, and patiently waits to see if Mave introduces them.
"I was on my way to visit your mistress, Lady Roya," Mave says, and then introduces the women with her. "These are Tulani and Nicora, my bodyguard and fellow Priestess." The Savanite bows deeply to both of the women. Tulani starts to bow back until she remembers that she shouldn't do that for a slave.
Nicora dips her head politely to the savanite. "A pleasure to meet you, Hikmat," she signs back out of respect, instead of just speaking it. "We are passing through these lands on a journey."
"Please allow me to humbly escort you, Lady of Love and companions," Hikmat signs. She straightens up, and snaps her fingers. Several of the slaves in her group shuffle their loads about, so that one of the men is free to carry the trio's belongings.
Tulani hands over her and Mave's bags, and whispers to Nicora, "It is impolite to refuse hospitality."
Nicora offers her pack to one of the men. Once he takes it, she rolls her shoulders, glad to be free of some of the weight. "Which of her many beautiful children do you know?" she asks Hikmat. "We just left Pleione in Olympia, a charming twin of Mave, she was."
The cheetah woman's ears twitch in amusement. "Her son, Beauty," Hikmat signs, and then follows the symbol with the Himaatian phonetic: Gamal.
"Her son? Really?" Nicora asks. She can't help herself, looks over to Mave, then smiles like such a predator.
"He is Tulani's age," Mave notes to the dark Eeee, as the small caravan begins to make its way back through the market. "Really?" Tulani asks, grinning as well.
"Ah, a child," Nicora teases and lightly hip-bumps Tulani as the trio walks along. "Now, I'll try to be serious. Did you have many sons, or is he the only one?" she asks Mave.
"I have others, of course," Mave notes with a hint of pride. "Serving in various households."
"Ah, you have been quite .. bountiful," Nicora remarks, amused. "So, he is a slave too?"
"An invaluable one, yes," Mave admits, "like Hikmat. Treasured for his skill and talent."
"What are his skills and talent?" Nicora asks.
"He is a dancer," the Yodhinala notes.
Tulani whistles appreciatively. "Dancing is very respected around here," she notes.
"Ah. A difficult skill to master," Nicora agrees and nods. She never quite managed it in her former body. "If I had to survive by that skill, I would be in trouble," she admits.
"You always have hog-exploding to fall back on though," Tulani teases.
That earns Tulani a slap from one of Nicora's wings.
A wagon awaits them at the end of the market, with a Kavi driver wearing an oversized straw hat. The baskets are loaded up into the back, along with the porters, while Hikmat gives the elevated bench behind the drover's to the travelers, taking her own seat next to the Kavi. With a crack of his riding crop, the driver gets the two bipedal, fluffy-covered reptilian drays to move: Vanderats.
"Do you think they will allow us to stay?" Nicora asks Mave, "Or are we to find lodging after visiting with her owning family?" She folds her wings in tight to keep them from being caught by stray signs or blowing cloth as they travel.
"Lady Roya will of course invite us," Mave notes. "It is custom. Depending on how long we must stay, however, we may be asked to help with the duties of the household, which has more in common with the Kallistrates Estate than with a typical Himaatian home."
"How long are we staying?" Nicora asks. "I am not sure how we would help. but I will do what I can." She considers something, then asks Mave, "You aren't planning to sell us to Lady Roya, are you?"
"I have a small personal errand to attend to here in Abu Dhabi," Mave says, unsmilingly. "Then we will arrange for the next leg of our journey. A day or two.. and you are both two old to get a good price for now," she adds, mock seriously.
Nicora reaches over and flicks Mave's ear. "Do you need help with your errand? It seems to be bothering you," she remarks.
"It is a private matter," Mave notes. "I am to pick up the remains of my eldest daughter, Gariazadze, the last High Priestess of Inala."
"That seems like something I should help you with," Nicora notes, but doesn't press it. "If you wish my help, you have but to ask. Otherwise, I wish that you find peace in reclaiming them."
"You would not have liked her in life," Mave claims. The wagon pulls into a very well-to-do area.. so well-to-do that there are separate roads for service vehicles to follow! But soon it comes to a stop near a gate in a stucco wall, and Hikmat signs, "I will lead you around to the proper entrance."
"It is not a matter of like or dislike, some things are done because it is the duty to see to them," Nicora notes to Mave. Hikmat's sign encourages Nicora to rise, then slides out of the wagon and settles herself back to the ground.
Tulani automatically goes around to collect the luggage, but one of the slaves waves her off. So the Sphynx joins Mave and Nicora in following Hikmat. "I've never been to this part of the city," she says. "I'm more familiar with the room-by-the-hour sections.."
"With a cute fluffy tail joining you in that room?" Nicora teases Tulani-the-sailor.
"The last guy I stayed with in Abu Dhabi was Arkold," Tulani notes. "And he had his mermaid girlfriend with him at the time." The narrow alley they walk is cleaner than an alley has a right to be, and before long they reach the end and enter the street used for higher-class traffic.
"Kinky" Nicora quips to Tulani.
"Swanky," Tulani replies, seeing the villa now.
"Extremely," Nicora agrees, her brow arching up in awe. "I hope we can afford this; this looks extremely expensive and i'm not sure our skills will be enough in trade."
The courtyard is somewhat crowded, as slaves pull back the awning for a group of Jingai dressed in colorful silk tunics and trousers, sporting embroidered silhouettes of flowers and fish.
"I feel like the proverbial bit of jerky amongst a gourmet meal," Nicora whispers to Tulani as she shifts about uncomfortably. She doesn't even have her pack to occupy herself with as a distraction.
Hikmat leads them past this, although through the garden they catch glimpses of ornately decorated carriages in unusual colors, before they are finally swallowed up by the villa, entering through one of the open, curtained walls.
The sounds of music can be heard here, even by those without Eeee hearing; cymbals, bells and drums, and a sitar. Hikmat catches a young Lapi runner, who directs them back the way he came. "Lady Roya is in the dressing room," the Savanite reports, and leads them deeper into the villa.
"She makes Rosalind look poor," Nicora remarks softly to Tulani next. "I don't think I have ever seen as much finery before. I'm with you, the other part of town would be more ... comfortable."
"Hush," Mave chides the younger women, as they are led through various curtains into a room that is.. chaotically elegant. There are racks of clothes, scarves and veils and literally buckets of baubles, bells and bangles. An older lynxess frets as she circles a Lapi girl standing on a stool, pins held between her lips as she tries to fashion a costume on the doe. An already outfitted Khatta girl waits nearby, tail twitching in agitation as she peeks through some dark curtains. The music is coming from the other side.
"Dancers, all with custom costumes," Nicora murmurs to herself, then shakes her head. She can't help herself, she watches the flurry of fitting on the lapi doe. Not quite sure what to do, she folds her hands behind her back and just waits quietly.
"There!" the lynx says after adjusting a chain of earrings on the doe's left ear. "Rana, how is Gamal doing," she asks the Khatta at the curtain, still not having noticed her guests.
"He is doing well, but.. I cannot read our guests well," the girl whispers back. "Lord Kazuhiko still looks bored."
Nicora eyes that chain of earrings and actually feels a twinge of envy! She has wanted something like that! "Lord Kazuhiko? Must be another reptile. They always look bored," she thinks. She still doesn't interrupt, though, it seems wrong to do so. They're more or less vagrant guests.
"Eee-ya, by the Emir's Endless Grace, I have never had a guest so jaded," the lynx - presumably Lady Roya - complains. "Perhaps I should have taken on that Nohbakim who did stage magic.."
"Calm yourself, Roya," Mave says, breaking the visitors' silence. "Nobody is ever completely jaded."
"What kind of magic is required? And what kind of guest?" Nicora finally speaks up, though her voice doesn't take on much volume to avoid passing the curtains.
The lynx blinks as if Mave had suddenly materialized out of thin air. "Mave? Lord Kazuhiko.. he is visiting Jadaian nobility, and.. I have nothing to match his own presence when it comes to the exotic!" Roya notices Tulani, with her broad white wings, and looks at her with consideration - until the music stops, and she has to hurry the other two dancers out just as Gamal enters.
Nicora rubs her forehead a bit. "You're going to want me to be 'exotic' don't you?" Nicora whispers to Mave, still feeling a bit traumatized from her last bodyshift. Of course her attention is broken quickly when the white-Eeee son of Mave comes through the curtain. She drops her hand quickly to get a better look.
The dancing Eeee is tall and lithe, with smoke-colored fur and deep black hair - although his eyes are the same blue as his mother's, and he shares her fine features. In Babel, he'd be popular with both sexes. He's dressed in fine silks, and every toe and finger is adorned with a ring or cymbal or bell, along with the vanes of his wings, which are pierced through in several places with metal rings holding chains, chimes and more bells and baubles. "I have failed you, mistress.." he begins to say, before noticing Mave.
"Do not use that word," Roya corrects the Eeee, as the music begins again. "Your mother came all this way to.. to.. I can't believe you're here, Mave! Why are you here?"
"Okay ... he's really handsome," Nicora whispers quickly to Tulani. It takes considerable effort for her to maintain her composure and not look like she's staring too much. She rolls her head slightly to move her hair in an effort to distract herself.
"Because you need me, it seems," Mave claims, and goes to peer though the curtain.. only to draw back in surprise. "Lord Kazuhiko is.. I do not know the word," she whispers.
Nicora has to go look past the curtain now, curious.
The room beyond is a sunlit grotto like a miniature walled in garden. A raised stage holds the dancers, and the musicians are barely visible behind a curtain of hanging vines. Arrayed on cushions before the stage are three exotic creatures. Flanking the center figure to either side, and generally watching their Lord more than the performance, are two obsidian-scaled Jadaian Kirigai. Their manes and horns are ivory white, and their eyes golden. They each wear swords outside of their golden silk kimonos. The Lord himself, however, is at an entirely different level of exotic..
Covered in small scales that shine like polished jade, Lord Kazuhiko seems under dressed for his station. His kimono is open, baring a chest whose musculature is anything but reptilian, and atop his elegant neck is a head and face like nothing Nicora has seen outside of dreams. A snout like a dragon, but also like a deer, cheeks of a fox, and eyes similar to a Rhian's, along with the beringed ears of a Cervani. A single black horn grows from his forehead, smooth like a claw as it curves back to follow his skull, with strange characters engraved into it and filled with gold. His mane is scarlet, and left to flow naturally. Tufts of similar hair sprout from his wrists, where his hands rest on his knees. Below, polished cloven hooves peek out as he sits cross-legged, with more red tufts attached to his ankles.
While scaled, the Lord's face is not reptilian - and his expression is one of, if not boredom, then mild disappointment.
"I ... I am not sure what he is," Nicora admits after she draws back from the curtain. She pauses there and rubs along the bridge of her nose. "You must find something exotic for him?" she asks Roya and Gamal, "That may be a task near impossible." She absently rubs at her forearm, knowing of only one person who could probably help. "I can think of one possible solution, but ... it does involve unusual magic."
"You will trust me, Roya, and I will help you," Mave says to the lynx, in a very no-nonsense way. "Please give us some privacy until I call for you."
"This is my.." Roya begins, but then relents. "I am out of ideas, but if you can help me, then I will be in your debt once more, High Priestess." She then bows, and slips out with Hikmat. Gamal is still shedding his baubles and costume, oblivious.
Shock after shock it seems today. First a stunningly handsome Eeee with envious jewelry, then that creature. Since Gamal is still here, though, Nicora approaches him while she can. "Does it hurt?" she asks him and reaches out to touch one of the rings in his wings. Surely she can spare a moment before Mave starts asking for things that are ... worrisome.
"No, but I do remove them to sleep or fly," the Eeee notes, smiling to Nicora and spreading a wing. Most of the rings are looped around the actual wing-fingers, where the wing membrane is thickest. "These do not come off," he notes.
"I envy you, then. These are beautiful. I wish my wings had such adornment," Nicora claims as she actually traces a claw along one of the bits of metal. "You did not please the guest? That is ... hard to imagine," she admits.
"Focus, Nicora," Mave says, then gestures to Tulani and notes, "Draw your sword out a bit, so its energy may be felt." Mave closes her eyes then, thinking for a moment.
"I am waiting for you to announce your divine plan," Nicora remarks dryly and sighs. "Maybe we'll talk later," she tells Gamal, then turns to look back at Mave.
"He has seen Eeee dance before," Gamal laments. "There were points where he showed some interest, when I was able to elicit specific sounds with certain movements, but.."
"Summon your dragon," Mave requests of Nicora.
"I was expecting that," Nicora says. He reaches down and draws her dagger, then with an unceremonious movement, slides it into her right forearm, down into the embedded sheath.
The forearm.. changes. The skin and fur seem to sink away into it, revealing the silvery-black exoskeleton. The orb above her wrist pulses, and a miniature dragon appears on her arm. "Wow," Kaira says, as Gamal drops his pants at that moment. "I can see where he takes after Mave, but.. his father must have been pretty impressive too."
Tulani obediently (although with eyebrows arched) exposes a few inches of the Light of Nala's blade. The little dragon becomes a bit more solid then.
"Thank you for making me feel unattractive once more," Nicora mutters and sighs. She rubs her forehead with her right hand ... then dares another look at Gamal, curious as if he's, ah, bejeweled down there too.
There is a single gold stud in an interesting place.. but there's no way that wasn't painful to pierce..
"Ouch," Nicora thinks, then has a desire to pull her ears down. She's finding Gamal downright amazing, sexy, and other words she doesn't want to acknowledge. She also realizes where she in her old form ... boy would he still feel outclassed. And vaguely worried would still be attracted!
"So.. did you summon me to show off your new boyfriend or did you have another reason?" Kaira whispers to Nicora.
"I wish he was my boyfriend," Nicora admits. Louder, she adds, "Mave wanted you. We need help in ... pleasing a very difficult guest. I believe she is hoping you can make at least one of us exotic enough to satisfy him." And so she goes to let Kaira peek through the curtain.
"Ki'rin," Kaira notes. "I didn't know you had those here. I'm guessing by 'satisfy' you mean via entertainment like dancing? I'm sure that I would be exotic enough.. but I can't dance."
"Yes, by dancing. He hasn't liked anyone so far. Gamal came close," Nicora explains, then gestures towards the decorated Eeee, "But not enough. What do you think, is there any form that the ... ki'rin would like? And ... I guess I'll be the wearer since my flesh is more ... maleable than Mave or Tulani... Hopefulyl something with grace because, well, I'll need the help."
"Well, what sort of dance would you do?" Kaira asks. "Gypsy? Do you need a partner?"
"Don't look at me!" Tulani notes, making no-way motions with her hands.
"Do you think a dance like the one we saw in Chronotopia with the Naga and the human would work? Otherwise I would think something with lots of flowing veils and graceful movement," Nicora suggests. "Perhaps Gamal would be willing to be my partner. Or Mave."
"So.. an Elf-and-Dragon dance? I am, of course, graceful enough, but.. improvisational dance is tricky," the dragon claims. "Perhaps something simpler, that you already know well and have performed.. just with a different body?"
"Well, there was the dance I did for Rosalind," Nicora offers as she continues to think. "The one where bit by bit things were revealed through shadow magic."
"That in the body of a dark elf would be ... exotic. Or as the unicorn creature you turned me into," Nicora dds. "Hm."
"Hmm," Kaira muses. "That would require a little extra effort, since normally you can't use the shadow while transformed.. unless it wasn't a real transformation, but a spirit overlay.."
"The effort is possible with Tulani powering me, wouldn't it?" Nicora asks.
"With the dagger slotted, and me helping.. yes, possibly," Kaira notes. "That, combined with a fan-dance using the wings, and a dragon body.. Ki'rins love dragons, you know. They have excellent taste after all."
"While you are deciding, at least take your clothes off to save time," Mave suggests to Nicora.
"Ah, so you're suggesting a dragon body? Not a steel one, I hope?" Nicora asks worriedly, "I'm willing to try I guess." She's fretting so much over the descision she actually does start disrobing in front of everyone present without worrying her tail might freak the male Eeee out. It's good her clothing is light and easy to untie, at least. She folds each piece and sets it aside until her robe and underlayer is gone and she's standing in nothing but fur and a swaying scaled tail.
"Also, you'll owe me for this," Nicora remarks quietly to Mave.
If Gamal noticed the tail.. well, it doesn't seem to bother him, given his big smile and bigger.. But before Nicora can really appreciate that, her vision darkens as the shadow spreads over her. "I'll use the prettiest dragon, of course," Kaira's voice assures her.
"I haven't felt this terrified about being changed since ... well, Melusine," Nicora finds herself thinking as she floats in that shadow-limbo again. "And Mave is treating me like some sort of performing shifting slave of hers!"
"Don't worry, I'm in here with you for this one," Kaira's voice claims. "It'll help you focus on shadow control." The darkness recedes, and Nicora finds herself in.. Kaira's humanoid form!
Gamal stares open-mouthed, while Mave goes into action. "What sort of bells should we use?" she ponders, looking over the selection. "Or just cymbals? You use those in your gypsy dances, don't you? Or will it be the tarantella?"
"You are so narcissitic," Nicora thinks to herself as she draws herself upright, then stretches towards the ceiling. "So, do I scare you yet?" she actually teases Gamal as she looks over her shoulder and flashes a toothy smile, followed by a playful snap-whip of her tail. "Oh, well, if I do that dance it means I'll be trying to seduce the Lord, would it not?"
"Okay, that's kinda weird," Tulani admits. "There aren't any of the usual telltale markings.."
"It would be something he has not seen," Mave notes.
"Ah, good point. But it may draw him into the dance. Still, it would be new for him, so ... that seems a good choice," Nicora-Dragon has to agree.
"And I think I want ... him to dress me," Nicora-Dragon decides and points a clawtip at Gamal, "Assisted by Mave, his mother."
"How hard can it be to not seduce someone?" Kaira asks Nicora in their shared head.
"It's harder to seduce someone than you think," Nicora thinks.
Gamal hops over, trailing an armload of silk. "I do not know this dance you speak of," he admits. "How much freedom of motion is required?"
"I remember that dance," Tulani notes with a grin. "I hope it doesn't start a war though or anything. Is the Lord married already?"
"Oh, it can start off slow, with little freedom ... then grow in movement and grace by shedding bits of clothing. It is an act of giving yourself completely to another, and trying to get them to give to you," Nicora explains to the tall Eeee. "A dance of teasing and seduction and of complete complete ... submission by one of the two that take part. It is a dance that Inala Herself ... encourages."
"I will handle the easily shed parts," Mave notes, relieving her son of the bundle of Zolk. "See to the jewelry and adhesive decorations."
"Some Ki'rin are completely seasonal about sex, so it's possible that he will be safe from seduction," Kaira notes in a reassuring voice. "Or he may erupt in a frenzy of lust. Mammals are unpredictable like that, even the semi-divine ones."
And of course Nicora doesn't help Gamal, because she accidentally runs her tail up along the inside of one of his legs as he goes to get the ... decorations. Also deciding to test something, she holds out her scaled right hand and tries to extrude a bit of 'shadow-cloth' to test her control. "So, you're saying he may pin me to the stage and ravish me? Or may just ignore me?" she thinks to Kaira.
"Somewhere along the spectrum between those two options, yes," Kaira notes. It takes a bit of effort, but the cloak does appear. Whether it will do it anywhere else is still up for testing.
Perhaps in revenge, or just retaliation, Gamal licks Nicora's scales before sticking on flat-backed glass gems.
Mave, meanwhile, tries to wrap up the essential bits in Zolk and gauze, despite the constant wiggling around.
Nicora next tries to generate a swirl of shadow around her hips and dlow down and out, like a living dress. If it doesn't work she can rely on just regular silks and other simpler approaches. When Gamal is close enough, she does whisper in one of his large ears, "I intend to lick you later and see what happens..." She then lightly nips his ear and lets him work.
"That's my body you're trying to seduce that boy with you know," Kaira points out. The shadow behaves a little oddly, in that it follows the skin very closely, to the point that the texture of the scales shows through it. But it does spread out.. so Nicora can at least have underwear if needed.
Nicora hmmms after the shadow experiment. She isn't sure she needs that yet or not and insteed just holds still to let Mave and Gamal finish the dressing. "Well, I guess so. I'm not sure he would like my normal once," Nicora thinks to herself.
When Gamal starts sticking on the smaller stones in sensitive areas, it becomes harder to concentrate on the shadow anyway. "This body is far too sensitive for this sort of thing!" Kaira notes.
"You're telling me it's too sensitive," Nicora thinks, though she's finding it hard to do so with the gentle, repeated, touches. She can feel the foggy allure of arousal come thanks to her 'gift' from Inala, not unlike when she was with the Naga back in the camp. She bites her lip quietly and tries to calm herself down and keep some semblance of cognitive thought. "You're doing a good job," she does tell him as encouragement, though. "Please keep going."
"Be careful.. we can breath fire," Kaira reminds Nicora. Mave, meanwhile, steps back and looks over her work. There are ribbons of Zolk twining up and down Nicora's forearms, calves and most of her tail now, along with a few strategically tied through her mane. A total of seven scarves (or veils) are used to cover up her torso and hips, with none for her face. Instead, Gamal has added colored glass 'gems' that stick to the scales, trying to match the colors to the scales as best he can to outline certain facial features or bring attention to specific features.. or even obscure them with prismatic sparkle when they're exposed to the sunlight.
"That is the most dolled-up dragon I have ever seen," Tulani says, one hand over her mouth to hide her grin or keep her from laughing.
"If this does not work, then you are next, Tulani," Mave notes.
"Remember, I bite," Nicora reminds Tulani and snaps her jaws at the sphynx. She now takes a few steps, then twirls and sasays to make sure that everything is secure, both ribbons and jewels. "I think everything is secure ... " she finally says, then eyes the curtains. "So ... I guess it is time for me to try and ... entertain the Lord? If I can make him smile, I will feel victorious..."
"I will guide the musicians," the Yodhinala says next. "The previous set is winding down, I will make my way to them." Then Mave slips out through a different curtain, as an exhausted looking doe and kitty come through the stage curtain, looking like they're about to start crying. Then they both notice the big blue dragon and pass out.
"Well, a kiss for luck?" Nicora actually asks Gamal, then grins.
"It is unlucky to wish a performer good luck," Gamal notes before licking Nicora's nose. "So, 'break a leg' as the saying goes."
Nicora only grins wider. "Thank you," she tells him. So ... now she turns and walks towards the curtains. She draws her feathered wings about herself, concealing as much as she can. "You must reveal, draw in, entice," she reminds herself, "Show him that you adore him, then draw away. Bit by bit, try to get him to worship you." She draws in a deep breath, then steps through the curtains and walks out and towards the stage. Her head is ducked low, so that only her eyes and mane can be readily seen. Those eyes go to the Lord and search out his own, trying to get him to look into her eyes as she takes the stage....
Mave conducts the musicians, switching them to flutes, drums and tambourines as the familiar music begins to build. Nicora (NiKaira?) does get the Lord's attention, along with his two bodyguards. The Ki'rin sits up, and no longer rests his chin on his fist.
As the flutes begin and in time with the tamborines, NiKaira extends one of her be-silked and bejeweled hands out between her wings. Her foreclaw curls slowly over and over in a come-hither gesture and her eyes droop just so, perhaps because a smile is hidden behind those wings. Her body sways slowly in time with the flutes, almost serpentine ... then when each drum sounds there is a snap of her hips. Still those wings obscure for now. "Catch his interest, then reveal more and more to slowly draw him to you. Show, then hide ... give, then take away..." she reminds herself.
The Lord's eyes are sharp as he watches, although as yet he betrays no other emotions.
"Ryu-geisha?" whispers one of the Kiriga attendants.
NiKaira's wings lower slightly as her chin rises up, showing her face for the first time to the Lord. She takes a step towards him as her head sways slightly from side to side; her bejeweled lips drawing back in the faintest hint of a smile. A drum sounds and the dragon whirls about, her back now to the Lord. Her spine twists and rolls with serpentine grace as her tail snakes about, just an inch above the platform. It sweeps closer and closer to the Lord until the tip is mere inches from him. She looks over her shoulder and once more her eyes ease half-closed as she smiles to him. A drum sounds and her tail draws away in an instant.
The tail causes some anxiety among the two guardians, but Kazuhiko merely raises an eyebrow.. however there is some movement beneath his robes, as his own tail appears and lays across his lap - a bright red tuft of hair at the end of something slender and green.
NiKaira twirls around at the insistence of the music and soon she is facing the Lord once more. Her wings are still coiled about herself as she now reaches upward, exposing her be-zolked arms and decorated claws. As the descend, she traces them along her own sinewy neck. Her tail coils anout her own feet, still not touching the ground. A step forward, then another, as she draws closer to the Lord. she looks down at him, her eyes finding his and never leaving. Her wings part ... just a little, giving hints of the zolen-clad scales beneath. Her jeweled brow ripples questioningly, as if asking the Lord if he wishes to see more. Then the drum sounds again and soon her back is to the Ki'rin once more, taking away the hints of what is beneath those wings.
Was that a slight grunt from the Ki'rin? Some sound of amusement?
Her tail snakes about once more before him, curling and twisting without touching the stage. Drawing closer and closer to the Lord, then pulling back just before it might actually touch him. The music continues and it's now NiKaira that makes a sound, a soft rumble, almost questioning. It's gone as quick as it came and she's now facing the Lord once more. She is only a few feet from the edge of the stage now. It's here that her wings part as she steps forward. It's like she's walking through a curtain of feathers; her thin, blue-scaled form with its zolken covering and jewels flashing in the light. At the edge of the stage, she lowers herself to all fours and leans forward, extending her neck and swaying her head from side to side, trying to now draw the Lord forward. The drum sounds ... and NiKara begins to draw back. She smiles lightly to the Lord, dips her head in respect, and even closes her eyes for a moment.
Now the Lord has his curiosity piqued. Perhaps he thought the performer to be some odd Jingai, but that flash of a jewel-decorated navel caught his attention, as did the clearly mammalian hips and chest. He almost looks.. confused.
"Capture his interest, then draw him in," NiKaira reminds herself. She spins around on the stage and slides up to the edge, letting her legs dangle off. She leans forward as she rolls side to side, showing off her body. She reaches up and hooks her claws into one of the scarves covering her chest. There's a light tug and it begins to slide away, revealing that she is, indeed, something quite different from a Jingai. Again she looks into his eyes, a soft smile playing upon her bejeweled lips.
The Lord is transfixed, eyes wide. He begins to smile, a look of wonder slowly imposing itself on his features.
NiKaira slides off the stage and falls to her knees before the Lord. She looks briefly to his guards, nodding once to each of them to acknowledge their presence. Her attention, though, quickly returns to the Lord and she extends her zolken-clad hands to him, hovering them just before the tail upon his lap. Her head dips slightly once as if asking permission to touch the tufted tail.
While the guards tense, Kazuhiko's tail lifts and places itself in NiKaira's hands.
NiKaira's head dips low as if she recognizes she has been bestowed a great honor. Her fingers hold it gently. One hand keeps it steady while the other slides and plays along its slender length. With her head bowed, she looks up to the Lord. As a drum plays a rapid beat, she sways side to side as she leans in. Her lips just barely grace the top of the Lord's tail, just above its tuft, then she draws back and lets his tail slip from her grasp. Beneath her, her legs unfold and she rises, standing before the Lord. With the beat of the music increasing, she slides her hands down her body and catches the scarf at her waist. Its knot is loosed, and it falls away, exposing the complete curve of her hips, and dispelling any lingering thoughts that she might be Jingai. She reaches her arms towards the ceiling and there sways and rolls her hips and belly before the Lord.
The Ki'rin gasps, and leaps up to his feet (or hooves). In a surprisingly rich baritone, he says something to the attendant on his right, then turns and strides out of the room, the other guard hurrying to follow him. Stunned, the remaining one bows to the dragon, and says in accented Khattan, "The Lord Kazuhiko invites you to join him for tea." He then looks up from his bow, and adds, "Immediately."
Nicora has yet to say anything, even now. Her arms lower and she bows her head to the servant, then rolls her hand as if to say she will follow his lead. She hasn't forgotten the power of gesture over word that she learned as a Savanite. "I'm not quite sure if this is good, bad, or qhat quite happened. I followed the intention of the dance, I lured and teased. I think it pleased him. It must have. I just ... could he want ... oh ... dear," she finds herself thinking. "Tea. I'm sure it's just Tea." she decides. She leaves her scarves where they fell ... it seems that the Lord prefers her without anyway...