College students do not live very upscale lifestyles, Nicora learns. The student apartment that Phil, Henry and Jackie share is really just an attic that's been partitioned into smaller rooms (but does at least have a balcony with a view). Things were cramped when they all gathered around the hookah pipe, and smoked.. well, something. It may have been simple tabac for all the effect it had - although it did seem to relax the boys enough for them to get flirty. The brandy was good, at least.
Now that the action was over with though, Nicora was feeling restless. The walls were thin, and she could hear Tulani purring in her sleep in the next room, and the slight snoring of Jackie further on. Phil the Eeee slept with a big smile on his face, dead to the world, and Nicora was getting tired of watching him; it inevitably made her wonder about her father's college years, if there were any. The bed was too narrow for two winged people to occupy comfortably as well. And it was still the middle of the night.
Nicora extracts herself from her youthful conquest, and can't help but feel slightly smug about what she 'taught' him. But right now she's just not tired enough to sleep and there is too much noise going on. She dresses quietly so that she can go back out on the down; though putting her corset back on is a fairly painful; her new jewelry work is sore; though she likes them more than enough that she's not about to remove them. This gets her thinking about the strange Eeee that pout them in ... and about something Phil mentioned. The chamber in the labyrinth where Sunala was held. Maybe he would know where it is and would tell her. Given how odd he is, he's probably still away anyway. So, once she's dressed, she tries to sneak out quietly.
still awake ... not away
The students sleep deeply, and Tulani is probably too comfortable snuggling her bunny to be disturbed by any minute sound Nicora might make. The balcony door is silent as well, so she has no problem getting to the balcony. Beyond, the Scholars Quarter is dark and quiet - even the street lamps have been turned off. But other parts of the city are still awake, especially towards Darkside and Little Babel.
Nicora adjusts her corset again. "Beauty hurts, I guess," she remarks a bit dryly to herself. She snaps her wings though and decides to fly as far as she can towards the Morgue and will walk the rest. It's hard to mug someone in the air.
Something large does fly close to Nicora along the way - a big Vartan wearing a Guard uniform. It doesn't speak or question her though - just comes close enough to see that she's not up to anything suspicious, and probably to let her know that should she think about doing anything suspicious, someone will be watching!
"Evening," Nicora says to the Vartan politely, "Can't sleep. Night time calls to my kind. I wish you a peaceful and happy night." She even waves to him and smiles.
The Guard waves back, and veers off to continue his (or her) patrol. Nicora hears the pings of other Eeee in the air the closer she gets to Little Babel, and sees the familiar blacked out facade of The Morgue. There are even a few Eeee slouching outside of it.
It's difficult flying in a corset, but having done acrobatic flying, she manages pretty well. She lags lightly on her feet and her wings snap in around her body like a cloak. "Evening," she says politely to the Eeee outside the club. "I wish to enter. Are there any requirements I must meet this time?"
The group outside are teenagers, the boys going bare-chested (to show off their own jewelry apparently) and the girls wearing as little as possible. They all have overgrown manes of hair. They are also passing around a Lapi girl - due to the black fur, it could even have been the one being used as Mordecai's chair-cushion earlier. She's got a rapturous expression on her face as one of the Eeees bites her. "You just gotta be worthy, ya know?" one vampire boy says, wiping Lapi blood from his chin. The bouncer is different - another Vartan, although a thin one with gray feathers and dark speckles under his eyes. He's watching the vampire-groupie bunny closely, as if making sure she doesn't lose too much blood.
Nicora's brow arches quite a bit at this scene of flagrant debauchery. Still, the Lapi seems happy and the Eeee aren't endangering anyone. "Your biting is sloppy," she does note, however. "A proper bite should never ooze down your chin like that. You need more practice." She waves her hand a bit as if dismissing the younger Eeee and heads towards the door. "I am going in," she tells the vartan to see if he'll actually try to stop her.
"Too young to be picking up a kid," the Vartan notes. "Maybe younger sibling? Or are you here for something else?"
"I am here to speak with Mordecai," Nicora answers. "He did some work on me earlier and I had a few more questions for him regarding it," she claims.
"He's out communing wi' his muse or sum'tin," the Vartan says, waving towards the Old Cemetery. "What'd you have done?" he asks, large raptor eyes looking Nicora up and down.
Nicora hooks a claw into her corset and pulls it down to show the white gleam surrounding one of her nipples. "Barbells," she answers as she lets go so that her chest is covered back up. "Thank you for telling me where he is. I will go there," she says and even dips her head.
"Shiny," the Vartan says approvingly.
"I am quite pleased with them. They are a bit uncomfortable currently, but I would not part with them," Nicora says as she smiles briefly. She waves lightly to the vartan, then turns and walks in the direction of the old cemetery.
The cemetery is rather quiet. There are some lights on in a building at the far side, near the infamous Asylum, but no sign of a naked albino bat.. at least not out in the open.
Nicora's ears swivel and listen. She's used to graveyards for the most part, and creepy places, because of Sylvania ... but she doesn't let her guard down. These places can be dangerous. Her ears listen for any movement and sound, including the metallic tinkle of jewelry, since the albino sure had a lot.
"This place can't be more dangerous than Sylvania ... and you handled that fine. Just pay attention," she thinks to herself.
Paying attention yields interesting results! Nicora can tell the ancient graveyard is still haunted, although the spirits she senses are old and feeble. But those barely register compared to a much stronger sensation - one that makes her right hand tingle. There's something of interest to the shadow out there..
Nicora flexes her right hand ... and without even really thinking about it her disguise relaxes. The pristine Eeee flesh cracks and melts, sinking into her forearm and exposing the metallic-shrowded oozing mass within it. "Something isn't right here," she thinks warily now. Her fingers contract, then flex as she tries to track the sensation that excites her right hand.
With the hand fully exposed, it's easier to sense a direction - in this case, straight ahead, into the heart (and probably oldest part) of the cemetery.
Nicora holds up her right hand to look at the shadow-flesh and see how it is reacting, outside of the tingle. If it is ... squirming about or not.
It doesn't seem any more active than usual.. but it feels odd. Hungry.. but not for life-energy.
"You know better than going deeper in this place with what you're sensing," Nicora murmurs to herself as she flexes her hand. It has been quite some time since she has had it in its natural state. It looks so ... alien from the rest of her body. "but, just go, you know you will anyway," she adds in mutter to herself. So ... onward she goes, deeper into the cemetery to find what is calling her.
There quite a few tombs and mausoleums to get around - and they seem to be more prevalent the deeper Nicora goes. The sensation in her shadow-hand also gets stronger; it's less like hunger now, but more like desire of some sort - a sort of desire the Eeee really can't identify. The ground rises slightly, forming a minor hill, and atop this the old mausoleum that must be the source of the sensation.
Nicora absently feels her right palm as she walks for any pulsing. The sensations are new, this desire ... and she isn't sure what is creating it. It worries her and her ears splay. "Is there another shadow dragon here?" she wonders as she approaches the mausoleum. Her ears flick forward now, focusing on her destination.
There's someone inside that breathes and has a beating heart, according to her ears. And her guess about the source feels right as well once she reaches the threshold; the place has an aura, lingering like the stench of death (which is also there). It's not a spirit, but more of a ghost. And it's familiar, since Alptraum faced it in Sylvania, deep under the Twisted Keep. It doesn't make any sense though, until she recalls Arkold mentioning that he knew Vorgulremik on Rephidim..
And this must have been his lair.
"Oh Gods," Nicora mutters softly to herself, and her right hand curls into a fist. "Him," she hisses softly. Her jaw sets and she tries to find the strength to counter the aura here. She realizes that if at all possible, she needs to purify this place somehow. Another breath, then she steps into the former lair...
It's like a miasma, fogging the air. Enough lights enters through slits and cracks to illuminate scattered piles of old bones (some disturbingly large enough to belong to people) and other signs of being the den of a large predator. The sarcophagi have long ago been looted, but one still has most of its stone cap, and on top of that is a portal into the Sea of Souls ... except it isn't. It's Mordecai, his tattoos taking on a horrible new context as he meditates cross-legged on the stone coffin, breathing deeply of the miasma.
Now Nicora feels the throbbing sensation in her right hand. Does the shadow want to devour the dark aura?
"You choose dangerous places to meditate, Mordecai," Nicora says softly as she approaches the albino. Her voice isn't accusing, more just matter-of-fact. She feels at her palm, to see if it is throbbing in time, or if it is just the mass beneath the eye.
It seems to be.. uncertain? The sensation moves from the palm to the orb-root and back again. The white Eeee opens his glowing pink eyes to look at Nicora. "I don't see any danger here," he says in his odd, hollow voice. "Are you still tender?"
"The danger is felt more than seen. And yes, I am still tender," Nicora says as she looks about. "The creature that once inhabited this place is known to me. I have faced it before, in Sylvania."
"You've seen the Beast?" Mordecai asks, and gestures for Nicora to come closer. "Tell me of it."
Nicora actually holds up her right hand and rolls her fingers. "I defeated it, but at a cost," she explains as she approaches the albino.
Mordecai, pats the stone surface next to him, inviting Nicora to sit with him. "Such a beautiful hand. Why would you hide such a thing?" he claims.
Nicora settles herself down on the stone. "Because most people would try to have me killed if they saw it," she answers simply.
"Most people are zombies," Mordecai claims, as he tugs down Nicora's corset and bodice to expose her jewelry. "They only think they are alive," he adds, before dipping down to apply soothing vampire saliva.
Nicora twitches for a moment, then reaches back and just loosens her corset, then tugs it off while the other Eeee licks. She sets it beside herself on the stone. "Actually, they are not. I've faced real zombies," Nicora notes.
"And how are they any different?" Mordecai asks, and works to remove the bodice now that the corset is gone. "They stumble through existence mindlessly or are slaves to routine, never really seeing the horror of their plight."
"Rotting," Nicora notes, "Decay, no feeling, terrible smell." Her brow arches a bit as she watches the albino work on her bodice. "Do you feel I am over-dressed?" she asks, slightly amused even with the odd feeling in this place.
"Clothing is confining, and you should be free," Mordecai claims, after 'freeing' Nicora's torso. Then he turns his attention on her right hand and forearm, which is still throbbing.. and licks between the struts of the exoskeleton, feeling the bumpy, wormy flesh in between.
Nicora's ears wobble when she feels the tongue ooze over already squirming flesh. "Why do I get the feeling you now want me more as a canvas to work on, mm?" she asks as she rolls her right and and cups his chin briefly before sliding it off of his chin.
"I want to explore the art that is already there," Mordecai claims. "Tell me more about the Beast, please. I want to know why this lair is so.. inspiring."
"He was a creature that desired to consume the world, one life at a time," Nicora explains, "A great horned beast of scale. Very dangerous. cunning."
"Why did you fight him?" Mordecai asks next, migrating from licking Nicora's monster-hand to nibbling at her neck.
"Because I had to. I defeat creatures than endanger others. It is my duty," Nicora answers. She finds herself tilting her head a bit to make the neck nibbling that much easier.
"And is that what brought you to me tonight?" the albino asks, as he maneuvers Nicora onto her back. "Am I a dangerous creature to be defeated?"
"If you were, I don't think I would have let you release your essence within me earlier," Nicora points out, amused, as she finds herself on her back. "I came to ask you about the rumors of the chamber that contained Sunala on this island. You seemed as someone who would know of them."
"Nobody has found the chamber, but rumor claims at least one of the attending Spirit Mages is still on Rephidim," Mordecai claims, while depantsing and unlocking Nicora. Her right hand is really flip-flopping now between 'orb' and 'palm'.
Nicora reaches down to halt the unlocking. "Tsk," she says, "That is only opened if there is payment to me, as it was payment to you earlier for what your work. What will you offer me?" She's also starting to get a little worried with the 'flipping' of sensation .. and tries to determine if there are other changes, such as cooling or loss of other sensations.
Everything else feels normal, given the situation. It's still just the hand that is acting up. Although the miasma does exacerbate Nicora's stomach issues, now that the booze has been leeched out of the beetle she swallowed in the bar.. leaving a beetle in her liquid-diet-preferred stomach.
"What do you want?" Mordecai asks, clearly unused to being rebuffed.
"I'm ... not sure yet. Maybe a couple more special pieces of jewelry later," Nicora suggests and draws her hand back. "I like you. You are ... unusual," she claims, "I am not sure I could ever refuse your desires for long."
"I can offer you blood now, if you like," the albino offers, kissing Nicora and offering his neck.
"Oh, I think that will do for now. You may taste of mine later if you want," Nicora offers as she draws Modecai closer. Her teeth linger on his neck, then she bites down. She has a feeling this may be a bad idea, but she is curious to how he tastes.
He tastes.. strange. Almost sickly.. but then things get weird! Her right hand raises up on it's own, spreading fingers towards the ceiling, and the orb glows yellow as Nicora feels the pumping begin. Even as she drinks in some of Mordecai.. her hand is drinking in the miasma!
Nicora's eyes go wide and she tries to stop! She remembers vividly what happened the last time she devoured a demon!
There's no denying the shadow at this point! As it absorbs the old aura, the hand changes; scales sprout, talons thicken.. and the transformation isn't stopping at the elbow!
Nicora's jaws separate from Mordecai's neck. "No, no, no," she growls as she tries to fight the shifting of her arm. She also discovers that fighting a shift hurts. Instead of the usual pleasure from flesh change, it feels like her skin is splitting! She falsl back onto the stone again and writhes.
With normal spirits and magic being weaker, and the overwhelming aura at work, there's little Nicora can do! The transformation comes, leaving her exhausted for resisting it, until she's changed into her female steel-dragon form!
And it hurt. When her horns grew in, it felt like her head was exploding. She now lays splayed on her back, panting softly and blinking. The tingle then starts, and builds within her. An intense need. "Mordecai," she rumbles softly, trying to hold her voice steady, to see if the Eeee is still here.
The Eeee is already undoing the lock, and when the chain slides through the golden rings it's nearly unbearable. "Is this your true form?" he asks, running his bare fingers across Nicora's scales. "It is beautiful. And you glow.."
Nicora can't even form words when the chain slides out; it's an extremely disturbing rumble. "No, not true form," she rumbles out, "A curse. I cannot, rrrrr." Her claws drag on the stone, throwing sparks. "I need you," she rumbles, eyes clenched shut, "Name your price and if it within my power I will grant it ... just give me release from this. Please."
"What must I do?" Mordecai rumbles, testing the scales of Nicora's neck with his teeth (and not getting anywhere, but it feels nice)! "Is there some ritual to change you back?"
"Impale me as you did earlier," Nicora forces out between clenched teeth. It's hard to even think right, the desires from the body pushing and pulling at her. "It ... may release me. If that fails ... I must leave this place and hide until it passes."
Mordecai obliges, quite eagerly. The orb does lose some of the yellowish tint, but the Eeee does need to pause and catch his wind every so often. At least it's not as bad as when she had to use up Vorgulremik's energy.
Nicora finds herself muttering encouragement to the Eeee, though she can't quite remember in its entirety what she says. She's sure some of it is ... pleading, some may be making promises, but. This is worse than Inala's curse. The gold, in this form, is intense. Her claws and tail curl about the Eeee at every opportunity, keeping him very much a part of her as much as she can.
There's some high-pitched screaming from Mordecai at one point, although Nicora's ears no longer have the full range that her Eeee ones do, so she isn't sure exactly what the albino was saying, if anything.. until she senses other approaching! Did he call in reinforcements?
Nicora's movements stop. Her head cranes up so that she can look to the albino. "What did you do ... " she rumbles, eyes narrowed. The narrowing becomes a clench when another resh tingle from the gold hits her.
"Just.. calling for.. help.." Mordecai wheezes. His chest is scratched from Nicora's scales, causing some of the tattooed lost souls to look like they're crying blood. Another Eeee face pokes in through the door of the mausoleum, squeaks in alarm, and backs out.. to be replaced by the taller, thicker form of the Vartan bouncer.
"You," Nicora growls and points to the Vartan, "I need you." The way she's splayed makes it apparent for what.
The Eeee is lifted out, and the Vartan takes his place. There's a certain similarity to a Rhian, of course, but the big horse-bird at least has more protection from scale-chafing.. even he does lose some feathers.
Nicora's legs, tail, and arms ensnare the Vartan. "Good," she rumbles in his ear, "Now doesn't stop... Not until I change back..." That's abot the extent of her ability to vocalize for now, the gold takes over again.
"Change back?" the Vartan asks, a bit nervously. Still, with big body comes.. big stamina. The orb light gradually changes to pearly glow it normally has, and Nicora feels herself begin to change back to an Eeee. The Vartan doesn't know this, of course - his eyes are closed - and he's still giving it his all!
And ... Nicora doesn't stop him. She's a bit dazed and more than confused. When things start to feel tight and it starts to hurt that gets her to at least become a little more aware. "Okay, okay," she starts to squeak, as things get more and more uncomfortable quickly!
The Vartan blinks and stares at the Eeee under him, mutters, "Too tight!" and looks pained as well. "Don't move," he pleads and takes deep breaths, as if trying to relax.
Nicora looks straight up at the ceiling and tries to hold perfectly still. This is hard to do when you feel incredibly ... full. "Ow, ow, ow, she thinks in pain.
Eventually, thinks calm down enough to avoid any damage when the Vartan gets off of Nicora. "Ooo, shiny isn't everything," he moans.
Nicora takes several deep breaths then checks herself (gently) for damage or raw skin.
Other than being extremely sore, there isn't any sign of damage - but then, whole babies are supposed to pass through there!
Nicora pushes herself upright. She sits on the stone wobbling back and forth and still spread since everything hurts. "Mordecai?" she asks weakly as she wobbles. "I think I'm going to pass out." Boy does she fee light-headed.
"I'll have you taken someplace to recover, and.. lick your wounds," the pale vampire promises. It looks like dawn isn't that far off now, and the oppressive aura is gone from the crypt.
"Don't forget my clothing, or the lock and chain," Nicora requests as she collapses back against the stone. Her eyes struggle to remain open, but they just can't. Soon they close and send the bat into achy sleep. She's so tired she doesn't even consider the fact she's now in the strange Eeee's hands, and unconscious.
The walls and ceiling of the chamber Nicora finds herself in are rough stone, making it seem like a natural cave, but one wall is made of wood, and as a door set into it. A few veins of glowing crystal provide light, and finds herself on a low table. Ritual runes are engraved into the stone floor, along with a magic circle.
"Did you seek to find me here, in the place of my shame?" Sunala says, from the darkest corner of the cave.
"Where am I?" Nicora says weakly, blinking a few times. What happened is all too fresh in her mind, as is the exhaustion that grips her. It's an effort, but she pushes herself upright. "No, I wanted to understand what happened here those years ago," she explains when she realizes where she is. "I only saw it in fragments in my mind. I did not know you considered it a place of your shame. I am sorry for seeking it, then."
"There is little to it: the Mages thought to 'exorcise' me from my Avatar, who was also the vessel for the Sea of Souls," Sunala claims. "I held back my wrath, allowing them to set my Avatar free. Returning her to a mere Srinala would have been a waste."
"I wish I could have helped you somehow," Nicora admits as she slips herself off the table and tries to follow that voice to its source. "But I was clueless, I didn't understand what was going on. I barely saved myself when they came for me. They detected our link."
"You, save me?" Sunala asks, sounding amused. "I am Death, you realize." She steps out into the crystal-glow, and holds out her right hand to Nicora. "I think you have something for me. Something you just collected."
"Saved your avatar. Found you. Something," Nicora explains as she approaches Sunala, "I love you, Mother. I wanted to do something for you." Her legs wobble, then fold up as she drops down to kneel before Sunala, head bowed. Her right hand comes up and she places it into Sunala's own without even really thinking about it. She must want the ghost, and that is contained within her right arm.
Sunala draws out the 'aura', which appears as black smoke and coalesces into a miniature dragon in the palm of the goddess. "How unusual," she comments, her own voice hollow-sounding like Mordecai's. "This warrants study, as it may be.. useful. Inala need not be the only one to use a glamour."
"A dragon's aura is powerful, but hard to control. The shadow I defeated and took game me its aura. I am still learning from it," Nicora says, remaining right where she kneeled, head bowed with respect to the Goddess. "It is driven by emotion, that much I can tell you."
"Emotion? How.. inconvenient," the goddess notes, sounding disappointed. "It is a feeling of fear, but how can I produce that which I cannot experience?"
"I am not sure. Perhaps it is something I can help You learn how to use," Nicora offers, "Though I am not sure how. But as Your child, be it Daughter or Son, it is my duty to serve You as much as I am capable to glorify You." There is a pause, then she asks, "Have you ever tried to experience emotion?"
"There is much I can feel," Sunala claims. "Despair, regret.. relief; these are the emotions that comprise me - these are what people feel when I claim them. Fear is mine by right. People fear Death. But fear is difficult to get hold of. It is ephemeral."
"It is difficult to explain. I feat You too, but it is a fear that I am not serving You enough," Nicora admits bowing lower before the Goddess. "It may be the only way to truly understand all emotions is to live as a mortal for a time. And may I ask you a question, Mother?"
"You may ask," Sunala says, somewhat imperiously. "I may not answer." The smoke-dragon is tucked away within Sunala's robes.
"Your Daughters and your Son," Nicora asks, "Do they hold a special place with you? Do You care for them? I cannot say Love, for that is Inala's realm, of course. You hold a very special place in mine, and I know you do in all the Daughters I have met. I want to understand You better. I want to be close to You."
"They serve Me, which is all that matters," Sunala says. "And all come to Me in the end. There is no greater bond than that between the living and Death. I am the only constant, the only reliable fate, the ultimate reality. You are the only one to stand by My side, however. You are an aspect of myself, tied to the Srinalas that are my true daughters."
"My views and ... feelings are colored by my life as a mortal. It makes understanding things difficult," Nicora says as she finally looks up. "It is improper to embrace You? To hug my Mother?"
"I am not Inala," Sunala claims. "I am the antithesis of the physical, and I am without sentiment. A 'hug' would be meaningless. I am not your mother in any sense of birth or creation, since I cannot create life. So no, you may not hug me."
Nicora nods once at that. "Then did I serve You well this night by collecting that aura?" she asks. "Are you pleased with me?"
"It is a start," Sunala says. "Is it so important to you to please Me?" she asks.
"It is important that I am serving You," Nicora says. "I will endeavor to improve."
"I would like more of this dragon power," Sunala tells Nicora. "I sense it will be needed to maintain the proper respect for Death."
"I will keep alert for its presence and collect what I can for you," Nicora agrees. "Is theer anything more that You would ask of me, Mother?"
Sunala seems to 'stare' at Nicora in silence for a several moments. "Keep Me in the forefront of your thoughts," she finally says.
"I will strive to do so, in spite of your Sister's temptations," Nicora agrees and nods. "It is not long before I will stand before you Avatar. Thank You, Mother."
"Do not disappoint Me," Death says, as everything fades to black, and Nicora finds herself on a pile of warm cushions in a dark chamber.
Nicora blinks a few times. "I do not understand how I can disappoint when one does not feel emotions," she finds herself thinking. She tries to move her arms, then legs, testing how and where she is sore.
Nicora carefully feels her tender areas, checking to see if Mordecai replaced the chain and its ivory lock as she painfulyl sits up in the cushions.
The chain hasn't been replaced (and given the tenderness of the area, that could be a good thing) but she catches a glint in the corner, atop her folded clothes.
Nicora slides out of the cushions and goes to see what the glint was. She stretches a few times as she walks, getting sore muscles to try and loosen up.
The chain and lock are there atop the pile, glinting in the candlelight.
Nicora nods once, pleased they're available. She stretches upward again and rolls her jaw. Before she even considers getting dressed, she starts to check out her body, from head to toe, by feel and sight where possible, to make sure no lingering remnants of the steel dragon still show.
Even her right hand has returned to its disguised state! Her tail nips at her probing fingers, but otherwise the only scales she finds are along it.
Nicora lets out a sigh and picks up her chain. She very, very, gently threads it into place, then secures the lock, leaving more slack in it than usual to avoid any surprise tugging. Its presence isn't painful, but the sore area is more noticeable with the slight additional weight. Next come her clothing. It's slow to put on all the layers with the sore complaints from her body, but she manages it. The last is the corset of course. That she doesn't cinch quite so tight, she's sore enough.
A Khatta carrying a candle passes by the doorway, and peeks in. "You aren't dead," she notes, sounding.. bored?
"Of course not," Nicora says. "How long was I asleep? Where am I?"
"Catacombs under The Morgue," the feline notes, leaning against the door frame. "They brought you down here just a little while ago. Sure you don't want to die now? I bet the epitaph on the stone would be pretty memorable.."
Nicora's brow goes up. "What do you mean by that?" she asks as she approaches the khatta.
"Well.. Laid To Rest.." the Khatta says with a smirk. "Need to be shown the way out?"
"Is Mordacai and the Vartan all right?" Nicora asks. "And yes, please, show me out."
"Mordecai had to go take one of his special baths - for his skin, you know?" the cat says laconically as she sashays ahead, wearing.. pink and black striped stockings, and a black bow on her tail. "Salt-n-Pepper seemed fine, just a bit ruffled."
Nicora actually playfully swats the khatta's butt as they walk. "I suppose everyone here will be glad that I'll be gone soon," she remarks.
"I know about you because I was there when they brought you in," the cat claims, unphased by the swat... but then, she has a leather flogging whip tucked into her belt. "I'm sure they'll miss you though. Looks like you gave them a wild time."
"I enjoyed it, for the most part," Nicora admits, though really she's so sore that she's not entirely sure about that statement. "Pity you weren't there or I could have included you," the Eeee jokes.
"Oh, I don't know," the cat says, opening a door that hides a flight of stairs, and leading the way up them. "I'm considered rather kinky."
"So am I," Nicora claims, almost challengingly, as she follows the cat up.
Another door opens at the top of the stairs, the cat stands aside for Nicora. "Maybe I'll catch you next time then," she purrs, and pats the handle of her cat-o-nine-tails while winking.
Nicora reaches up, cups the khatta's chin, then kisses her. "Count on it," the Eeee says as she lets go, winks, then slips through the door. "Bah, why do you always accept challenges," she complain-thinks to herself.
The club is dead as Nicora passes through it, a sure sign that morning is at hand. Outside, the eastern sky is glowing.. but it's still early enough that the city hasn't fully woken.
"I had best get back to the apartment before everyone wakes up," Nicora remarks to herself. She sighs, knowing that flight back won't be fun, but ... it's better than explaining what happened last night. she stretches and tests her wings a few times, then tries to take off!
It's an effort all right, but with things loosened a bit at least it's possible without anything feeling like it's about to pop!
"Next time I want to go wandering at night, I'm going to ask Tulani to just hit me in the head and knock me out," Nicora thinks as she flies onward. Gods, everything hurts.