The secret passage from the quarters of the High Priestess to the Holy Inner Sanctum is as Alptraum remembers it, but this time it's a little bit easier thanks to the slightly smaller female body. The end bit of coming out next to the toilet is still annoying, but things are also quieter this time. And the door is closed, luckily!
Alptraum is trying to remember if either Srinala or Pouncer ever saw him as a her. If not, well, this will likely weird them both out to some degree. It ought to weird her out, but it doesn't, it's more comfortable and feels natural now. Still, no point in trying to hide, so out Amara goes from the 'bathroom'.
She immediately hears an odd noise. There's splashing and scrubbing? But not the sort of scrubbing you'd hear from bathing, and the splashing is minor. More like drops of water. It's coming from the chamber right across the hall from the toilet.
Okay, so that's odd? Someone doing dishes? Amara tries to sneak across and see where the noise is coming from and what it exactly is.
She spots a striped nightgown, brown hair and a spotted tail. Daughter-of-Shadows is brushing her teeth over a bowl on a pedestal. There's no mirror and only a candle for light, so she doesn't seem to have noticed Amara. But Amara was surprised for a moment, before realizes the big eyes that seemed to be looking back at him were just markings on the back of Pouncer's ears.
Amara doesn't want to freak Pouncer out. So, she knocks lightly on the wall to try and get her attention less, well, dramatically? "Ah, well, hello there. I've never seen the backs of your ears before, they look weird."
There's a spraying spit-take noise, and then Pouncer spins around wielding her tooth-brush in both hands, like it's a weapon. Her muzzle is dripping wet and frothy.
"Pouncer, it's me. Alptraum. Just ... a little different so I fit in better here," Amara claims. "Going by Amara right now," she says, then looks down a moment. "Okay, well quite a bit different, but I'm still me. Also, that brush isn't much of a weapon."
The feline narrows her eyes. "It's got my drool on it," she claims, and makes a flicking motion with it towards Amara.
"And that's dangerous why?" Amara asks. "Look at my eyes, do you really know anyone else with silver eyes?"
"Why do you look like that?" Pouncer demands, brandishing her toothbrush. "That's not what you normally look like!"
"So I could come in here with minimal fuss. I look like any other Yodhsunala," Amara claims. "Well, not quite like any other, I mean ... but close enough."
"Wait, you had a problem coming here before?" Pouncer asks.
"Sometimes, yes," Amara says, and shrugs. "Men are not terribly welcome."
"What brings you by?" the cat-girl asks, before wiping her mouth on her sleeve. "It's been awhile!"
"Well, Sunala wants me to help you and Srinala have some fun," Amara claims. "Maybe even get out for a bit."
Pouncer's pupils expand to fill up nearly her entire eyeballs. She freezes like that that, arm still up to her muzzle, then eventually asks, "Outside?"
"Outside," Amara agrees. "Will need disguises of course. I can change and look, well, mostly normal-ish."
"My spots.." Pouncer says.
"I could in theory change them. Or we just dye you," Amara points out, then poses. "And opinion, do I make a good woman?"
"Can you do laundry?" Pouncer asks. "And.. you need to do something with your hair. It's white! You look like.. a Yodhsunala. And dress like one too."
"Oh, I can look younger and quite different, don't worry about that. I just needed to look like that to get in here. And yes, I can do laundry. Why do you ask?" Amara asks.
"That's what women are supposed to be good at," Pouncer claims. "I do my own laundry here."
"I had to do laundry growing up. It's hardly something that was specific to women," Amara notes, shrugs. "And of course how do we disguise Srinala? That's harder."
"Oh no, that's easy," Pouncer claims, setting her toothbrush in the bowl, then turning and clasping her hands together. "We already worked it all out!"
That makes Amara blink. "How?" she asks, one ear askew.
"Srinala isn't here when she sleeps," Pouncer explains. "That's when Sunala is here, and Srinala is at the Sea of Souls. So that's when you can grab her and put her into a different body!"
"That ... requires having a different body," Amara points out. "Those aren't just, er ... lying around."
"Yes, but there's my body, isn't there?" Pouncer asks. "We can share it until it's time for her to wake up. She's used to sharing."
"Yeah, that would be in theory possible. But ... won't you find that a bit weird?" Amara has to ask. "Though I also have to admit it would make you even harder to detect by any form of magic."
"Weird?" Pouncer asks. "I was born to be possessed you know. That's not already weird? But if that's the case, I'd rather it be my friend for a bit."
"You were born to be you. Others wanted you to be possessed," Amara says a bit grumpily. "But yes, I understand how if it was a friend, that's different. So as long as you can look different, like a khatta, it should be doable."
"That's just changing the color of my fur," Pouncer says. "I hope! We don't have any dye though."
"I don't need dye to change fur color," Amara says. "But that does require using the shadow to do it."
"Should I blow out the candle then?" Pouncer asks, then sticks her tongue out. "No, that's stupid! You can't cast a shadow without some light!"
"Yes, I can," Amara claims and smirks a little. "Is Srinala actually sleeping now, then?"
"Not yet, but it's nearly time," Pouncer says. "She's in the throne room."
"So, should we go to her, or ... ?" Amara asks.
"Well.. yeah, she needs to know before she goes to sleep," Pouncer says. "Let me get my robe," she says and dashes off into another room.
Amara raises a finger, then just doesn't bother saying anything as Pouncer runs by. The bat follows after, lazily.
She nearly runs right into Pouncer, nose-to-nose, as the feline rushes back out of her room, still pulling on her robe. "Eek!" she squeaks.
"What? I'm a girl, you're a girl. I've seen it all," Amara says with an amused grin. "Anyway, lead the way. I'll just look grumpy."
"I wasn't expecting you to be right outside is all," Pouncer claims, and pulls her hood up. "I can't talk in the throne room," she whispers to Amara, and then leads the way.
"I know, you're supposed to be a Savanite," Amara says as she follows behind her, just a pace or two, and looking quite dour and displeased. So, like a regular Yodhsunala.
The throne room is empty save for a single drowsing attendant, and of course Srinala. She's 'watching' a large hourglass, but perks up when the two arrive. "You've come again," she says warmly to Amara. "But I'm about to go on duty."
"I know," Amara says, realizing Srinala will know who it is regardless of the form. "I just wanted to tell you that once you are on duty, the part of you that isn't ... will be going on a small adventure with your companion here."
"Oh, she told you about the plan then?" Srinala asks, smiling.
"Yes. I admit it is a bit odd, but should be doable," Amara says. "I'll also have to make her look like a khatta, of course. But that's just a color change."
The attendant stirs, since it's close to the time for Sunala to preside, and blinks at Amara and Srinala. "What.. language is that?" she asks, not understanding Sylvanian.
"I'll wait for you by the lonely tree, on the promontory," Srinala says. "Do you know the place?"
"I know the place," Amara says and bows. She then looks to the attendant and smiles, saying in Babelite, "An old one, pay it no mind. Apologies."
"Are you new?" the Yodh asks. But then the sand runs out, and the room is filled with Sunala's presence. "Ignore them," Sunala says, in voice that is the sound of the Sea of Souls. The Yodhsunala goes down on her knees, and Pouncer tugs on Amara's robe.
Amara kneels down as well, and glances at Pouncer.
"We can go now," Pouncer signs. "They'll ignore us. Like we were never here."
Amara bobs her head, rises, and heads out of the room, though making sure Pouncer goes with.
They go further down the corridor, past Pouncer's room to where there's a small shrine. Because this didn't used to be the Throne of Sunala, just the High Priestess's residence. "This should be fine," Pouncer says. "Oh.. my old clothes are in my room, I'll need change before we go. You have different clothes too right? Oh.. wait.. we'll need these still to get off the mountain. And.. uh.. how do we leave by the way?"
"Secret passage," Amara says, "And I don't have any other clothing, unfortunately, so I'll have to get some on the way. So get your clothing and come back, and I'll go find Srinala in the meantime." She's already sitting on the floor, cross-legged.
Pouncer slips out, and the world turns silver-black just before Amara finds herself in the Sea of Souls. Although, here, it's Alptraum again, free of any blessings or curses. This is the Barsunala now, on Barsunala business. The rocky outcrop is the same as ever, with the same dead tree reaching towards the sky like the hand of a corpse. Srinala sits beneath it.
And Alptraum heads up towards it. "Hey, you," he says gently, and with familiar tone, as he approaches. "You're sure you want to ... ride with your friend in her body?"
Srinala looks up blindly. "I'll never get to be alive like that myself. And it's important to me. To let me understand why I shouldn't be Sunala all of the time."
Alptraum sits down beside her and puts an arm around her. "I can't say this isn't a bit dangerous," he admits, "But between both of us no one should be able to detect who your friend really is. And getting a chance to live is important. Knowing people in ways outside of duty is important. Being able to relate is important."
"Plus, I need to protect her," Srinala says. "From the inside, if needed."
"We both need to protect her. You're not alone in this," Alptraum reminds.
"Amenlichtli is afraid of Sunala," Srinala claims, with some conviction. "I'm not Sunala but... I smell like her, maybe?"
"We both do," Alptraum says, "Between us, she wouldn't dare come near. Oh, and so you know, once outside the mountain, I'll end up being a mousy Eeee punk girl with green hair. It's the easiest form to just be silly in."
"What's green look like?" Srinala asks, then claps her hands together. "Oh, I'm about to find out, aren't I?"
"Yeah, you are. Don't worry, though, I'm pretty sure you'll still know me no matter what body I have," Alptraum says. "So, ready to do this?" he asks and holds out his hand to her.
The girl takes Alptraum's hand. "I hope this isn't fizzy," she says nervously.
"It won't be unpleasant. At least I don't think so," Alptraum says as he tries to draw the small Eeee sort of into himself, entwining with her as his wings curl about, so that he can carry her from this place.
It's not unlike enveloping someone in the shadow, and since it's a basic function of the Barsunala it happens easily!
Once Alptraum feels he has a good and gentle hold, he tries to wake himself back into the real world, and inside the Temple. Of course that means going back to being Amara, but he's fine with that.
When Amara opens her eyes, she's got a little silver flame in her hand. Well, everything looks like silver and black flames in Barsunala-Vision though, even the girl standing in front of him, only her fur is black and her spots are burning silver. "Everything alright?" Pouncer asks.
"Everything is fine," Amara says, though it's now her with the voice that sounds a bit like the sea of souls. "Are you ready for this?" she asks as she holds up that flame of silver in her hand.
"What do I do?" Pouncer asks nervously. "What are you holding up?"
"Srinala," Amara answers, "Just ... don't panic." She reaches out and presses her hand to Pouncer's chest. She also leans in and wraps her wings about her .. and worse, kisses her. On the lips. It's all probably a distraction though from the icy sensation of something flowing into her. And how her skin tends to itch as through that kiss she's using the shadow to simply turn her fur all black to blend those spots in.
The cat squeaks, a bit like a dry hinge. And then she gets dizzy - though probably not from the kiss. She ends up with one golden eye and one silver one.
Alptraum holds her for a bit until things stabilize, and then removes that kiss too. "How are you feeling?" the Eeee asks as she draws her wings back too.
Pouncer puts her hands up over her mouth. "You're a girl?" she asks. That's probably Srinala though.
"At the moment, yes," Amara admits. "It makes it easier to come here. Is there something wrong with being a girl?"
"It is a surprise," the combined Khatta says, then.. feels herself up. "Oooo.."
"Ooo?" Amara asks.
There's some waggling of Pouncer's hands before they settle back down. "Pouncer isn't like an Eeee."
"Well, nether am I like most Eeee," Amara says as she takes Pouncer's hands and puts them on various places on her body.
This gets mixed results. Srinala is impressed, certainly, but it's not that far from Pouncer's own build. "Eeee aren't like this?" she asks.
"Not most of them. I'm a bit, er, enhanced. Thank Inala for that," Amara admits.
"Oh, that explains it," Pouncerala says. "It's not just a Sylvanian thing then."
"No, it's a mix. Anyway, shall we get ... going?" Amara asks. "We've only got the night before we'll need to get back."
"Oh right!" Pouncerala says, as Barsunala-vision fades. "How do we get out?"
"Right, follow me. We have to go through the toilet," Amara says, without explaining. Probably to mess with them. She gestures for them to follow, and off she goes!
"Wait.. what?" Pouncerala asks as she follows.
Cenesta Plaza is as busy in the evening as at any time during the day. And there at the center is the faire, along with the newly opened Seven Wonders Circus. There's music, food, games and thrill-rides (direct from Chronotopia).
"Look at all the lights!" Pouncerala says in amazement. "And the music! And.. I smell food."
And Amara along the way changed yet again, into a younger, but still absurdly voluptuous Eeee named Revy, complete with her half-shaved green head-hair in braids, and ear tattoos. They had to obtain new clothing on the way, so of course Revy is in her punk-chic look too. "So ... " she says as she moves before Pouncerala and leans forward, hands behind her back. "Whatcha want to do first?"
"What's closest?" Pouncerala asks. "Maybe food! Temple food is.. uh.. edible."
"I thankfully have no reference for that," Revy says with a big grin. "Anyway, food it is, then," she agrees and slips her arm in the faux-khatta's. She intends to keep her close and safe, after all. "If anyone starts hitting on you and you want them to stop, just tell them I'm your girlfriend," she whispers, then leads her off towards the food stands.
"Humbuggers!" a loud voice calls. "The latest craze on the Sky Islands! Get your Humbuggers! Now with crunchy-bits and Secret Sauce!" The stall is right near the entrance, and seems to have a small crowd at the tables outside trying the novelty.
"Remember that most things here have bugs in them," Revy asides to Pouncerala. "Not sure how that would taste to you." Dagh, she's not sure how it would taste to her! Or if she'd end up barfing. She only had soup and ... other fluids, as Revy, after all. And thinking of that makes her ears warm.
"All I've been eating are bugs," Pouncerala notes. They get up close and see that the people are eating.. some sort of odd sandwiches.
"Well, do you want to get one?" Revy asks. She's actually sniffing to see how her stomach reacts.
It's definitely bug-based, but cooked. "It smells a bit like meat," Pouncerala claims, and runs to the stall.
"Annnd, that would be a yes," Revy says as she follows quickly after!
The chef is a Jupani, wearing a hair-net and gloves. "What'll it be, little ladies?" There are several humbugger patties cooking on a grill, and some sort of grinder device and a cage full of beetles nearby. There are other things too, like a bin full of mushrooms and a big pot full of.. soup? Some sort of hot fluid. "You look like you'd want a savory humbugger," he says to Pouncerala.
"Savory means meat right?" the girl asks.
"Totally up to you, hon," Revy says to Pouncerala. She's eying the food too, and wondering if she should dare risk it. "What's in the sauce?"
"Well.. no, it means savory," the cook says. "It's a secret," he tells Revy. "But it's animal-based, with some spices, if that satisfies you."
"Just give it a try," Revy offers to Pouncerala. She then comments to the cook, "Only sorta-kinda. Lots of fluids come from animals. But eh, I'm adventurous."
"Two savories then!" the cook says. For this he ladles sauce onto the cooking patties. Revy definitely smells.. fat. Possibly butter and gravy, odors he's familiar with from the gypsies. This makes things sizzle a bit. "Want salty-crisps on the side? We've got suger-fruit-juice too."
"Sure for both," Revy decides. Her eyes flick as she locates the nearest garbage can ... just in case things do not sit well with her digestion. She also locates some coinage, thankfully she had some stashed near the mountain just in case. It's not like anyone steals from anything from Mount Sunala.
Soon they both have little baskets with humbuggers and fried (and salted) vegetable chips. The paper cups of drink have straws! The humbuggers also have vegetables on them for some reason.
Pouncerala finds a table and waits for Revy, tail swishing with excitement.
The juice should be safe and Revy sips on it as she scopes out a table to sit at. She does stay close to Pouncerala, though. They mean a lot to her, after all. The cat beats her to finding a table, though and she she joins them. She peers a t the food as if it's going to jump up and bite her. "I'm not sure solid food will agree with me," she admits.
"It's not that solid looking," the Khatta says, and lifts the humbugger. She eyes the extra lettuce and such, then bites into it. And doesn't die!
"You don't know what it's like to be a vampire," Revy notes, then dares to take a bite, unsure if at any moment bad things might happen.
It tastes surprisingly meaty, but that may be the 'sauce' as the rest is definitely insect-based. Pork! Pork-fat, definitely. And other things. It's a bit spicy, like the spiced raw meat popular with vampires in Sylvania. Also lettuce and some sort of onion. The bun is just bread with no really flavor.
There's even some blood in there. But the cooking has rendered it pretty useless.
Revy chews carefully, and also swallows carefully. And then she sits there, ears up and looking like she might panic as she waits to see if there is any reaction.
Pouncerala is practically gobbling her sandwich, pausing only to stuff some of the salty vegetable chips into her mouth. Salt and fat are not generally available in Temple food after all.
Revy dares to try a chip as she waits to see if her body rebels or not.
The vampire is not used to crisp, crunchy things. It's a new sensation, but her teeth survive. The salt though.. it's much saltier than blood!
Revy's expression has to be rather ridiculous as it's a new culinary experience. And of course her teeth survive, they're durable! She has to bite through stuff. She continues on, carefully, paying close attention if her body starts making unpleasant motions.
Her stomach definitely gurgles, but she can also hear Pouncerala's stomach gurgle. That may just be because the feline is eating to fast, and the food is a bit fatty. She just gives herself a little punch in the middle of her torso and soldiers on. She has no shame when it comes to slurping loudly through a straw either.
That actually makes Revy laugh. "You make me think I need to smuggle in food for you. Has it really been that long since you had anything that tastes better than paper?" Revy finally asks before sipping more daintily on her draw.
"I last had.. fish jerky, that I brought with me to Babel," Pouncerala says, and then burps. She does cover her muzzle after that. "This was very tasty, even the salty stuff. Do they have ice cream here?"
"Maybe?" Revy pauses long enough to finish her food. So far, so good it seems. "You're still hungry?" she asks afterward. "And what is Eye Scream? Is it a Yodhgorphat thing?"
"Yogurt? That's Abu-Dhabian," Pouncerala says, then waves her hands a bit, saying, "It's.. cream. Which is fat-milk and sugar. And you freeze it, so it's.. not really got anything to do with ice, it's just frozen cream."
"Oh good. Because screaming eyes sound really bad," Revy admits, and it does sound like something one of the Sisters would use. "Well, we can look around? You know what you're looking for."
"Ummm, maybe? Someone should be yelling about it somewhere," Pouncerala says. "Are you done with your humbugger?"
Revy finishes off what she has. "So far. Hopefully it doesn't come back up," she admits as she grabs the trash from both to deposit into a trash can. "Let's go look?"
The main avenue of the circular faire has a lot of a different food stalls. There's one selling flavored pop-corn balls, candied bugs and fruits, something called funnel-cakes, shaved-ice and yes, ice-cream.
There's an ice-cream cart nearby, where the vendor is making a performance out of serving up the treat. Using a long spoon, he is essentially juggling the ice cream, putting it into a cone only to snatch it away using another cone, scooping up a ridiculous amount and then putting it back, and so on. It's a bit like watching the shell game, but with food, and everyone is laughing and enjoying it. The customer does eventually get their treat, along with colored sprinkles. Each color corresponds to one of the Seven Sisters, of course, and are probably made from bugs.
Ice cream is something quite foreign to Revy. Well, most foods are foreign to Revy. "So .... you want to try that, then?" she asks Pouncerala. "It looks kinda weird to me," she admits, "But I'm not used to most foods." She is rather impressed with all the sleight of hand, though.
"Yes please.. without the sprinkles though," the feline asks, looking more excited about it than an older teenager should. "You should try some too. It's not really solid food if you lick it."
"Why not the sprinkles?" Revy has to ask as she gets in line (and also checks how much money she has. Should be enough). She continues watching the performer too, and judging out his timing and movements. It's basically multi-level shell gaming when it comes down to it.
"I want to lick it without crunchy bits," Pouncerala explains.
"And not because the colors represent the other goddesses?" Revy asks, grinning, and then pokes out her slightly forked tongue.
"The shaved-ice place has colored syrup," Pouncerala claims. "That's fine. I just don't want crunchy bits.. that aren't salty."
"Shaved ice sounds weird. I didn't know ice could have hair," Revy jokes as she moves up in the line.
"What'll it be young lady?" the Eeee vendor asks Revy when it's her turn. "Something with a bit of green, or maybe gold?
"Gold for my spotty friend and green for me! I'm fond of green," Revy claims as she flicks her green braided hair a bit. "And oh, no sprinkles on the gold one."
The man manages to 'juggle' two cones at once. Pouncerala just isn't coordinated enough to keep up, but is laughing like a kitten the whole time. "Green on green for you, or perhaps black sprinkles?" he asks Revy.
"Black sprinkles," Revy volunteers. She's having no problem following the movements because ... they're just a repeating pattern. It's not random, none of those games really are. You learn a pattern, then you just get fast with it. She's also grinning the entire time. Also pondering about how she was called a young lady, that was weird.
Eventually, the pair (or trio) have ice-cream in cones made not of paper, but some sort of fried cookie-like things. Pouncerala licks hers slowly. "It's a bit like tangerine," she reports. "Almost a sherbet, like you'd get in Abu-Dhabi!" She has a well-traveled tongue apparently.
"I don't know what that is," Revy admits, sadly. Now it's her turn to lick hers. Which she does, slowly, with a drag of that split tongue, probably more sensuously than she intended, really, tasting it and those black sprinkles.
The sprinkles actually aren't bug-bits, but some sort of melt-in-your-mouth candy. Xocholatl? The ice-cream itself has a tang to it, definitely some sort of fruit, but mostly she tastes the cream part. Revy knows milk, after all.
"Huh, the sprinkles aren't crunchy," Revy tells Pouncerala. "This is ... interesting." And now she goes into a bit of sleight of hand while eating her treat. Rather, rolling the cone between her fingers to get at different angles. At points, wrapping it in her tongue to hold for a moment as she switches things up. It's all a bit silly, but somehow she's not getting too much on her hands at least!
"What are you doing?" Pouncerala asks at Revy's antics. "How does it taste?" Then she's back to licking. She's got a tongue made for licking it seems, even though she has to pause every now and then because of how cold it is.
"Just having fun," Revy claims and then holds out her cone to the cat in case she wants to try it.
Pouncerala tries a lick, and scrunches up her face. "Oooo, that is tart," she says. "The sprinkles are alright though."
"Is it?" Revy says and peers at it. "I just ... I have nothing to compare it to." One of the downsides of being a vampire, food has always been rather limited, so she can't compare much. She shrugs a bit and goes back to lapping at it, though. The cold is kinda nice, too.
By being careful, neither of them succumbs to the weird pain that some impatient children seems to suffer. With food dealt with, the concourse transitions to games. Generally, games with prizes. Although Revy knows how those run, because she's run them herself. Many of them involve balls or rings and jugs and bottles. But at stake are plush figures! Aside from the usual Savanites, Eeees, Vartan and Fnerfs there are now Skeeks, Skreeks and Naga. And of course plush versions of the Kindly Ones.. and the Barsunala. There's even a white naked human woman, which isn't fluffy at all.
"Ooo, I want that little Alptraum doll," Pouncerala predictably coos.
Revy blinks. There's a plush figure of him now? Seriously? For some reason, she's suddenly determined to win that one, and also one of Gorphat, Sunala, and Inala. Whether she can or not, who knows? She knows the games are rigged. And then she hears her friend's decree. "Uhm, why that one?" she ends up asking, suddenly feeling self conscious.
"To cuddle in bed," is the honest reply. "It gets lonely."
"Yeah ... but that one? Why that one?" Revy has to ask. "Is he ... that comforting?"
"I don't care about the other ones, and I obviously can't have a Sunala one," the feline notes. "But if you could get a Vartan one, that would be good too!"
"I'll try for the one you first picked," Revy says, feeling a bit ... happy someone would find a toy of him comforting. So, she heads up to the game and peers at it, trying to work out what traps it has in play to make winning near impossible.
This one is a ring toss game. The goal is to get the ring onto a bottle, with several rows of difficulty. Closer bottles get smaller prizes, while the furthest row gets the big ones.
"Try your luck little lady?" the woman behind the counter asks. A Karnor! Rare in Babel. She's gray and black and for some reason wears an eye-patch on her left eye.
"Try my skill," Revy counters, and grins wide. The actual trick with this game is usually not to try and drop on the top of the bottle, but catch it with the ring more vertical so it sort of roll-snaps into it as the way of using up the momentum. If you go over the top directly, it tends to, well, bounce.
"Three tries for a shekel," the wolf says. It isn't clear if that's generous or not though. She holds up three wooden rings.
Revy fishes out a shekel and hands it over in exchange for the rings. She takes one and rolls it around in her fingers, testing it's weight and balance. She even tosses it up a couple times to check how it tends to move and rotate.
They aren't perfectly balanced. Either because the wood isn't, or because... well, it's a carnival game and the odds are always stacked in favor of the house.
Probably weighted on one side. Revy bounces the ring in one hand as she peers and tries to take aim at the farther back ones. Not going to throw it so it flips. More like toss it so it moves at an angle, with the weighted side down. And so, she makes an attempt, while her forked tongue pokes out the side of her mouth.
The ring bounces off of a middle-tier bottle and hooks onto a back-tier one, where it flops down onto the neck of the bottle. "Oh! The Kindly Ones must like you, because you can pick one of the big prizes," the Karnor says.. and her eyepatch has switched to her other eye while Revy was making her toss. She gestures to the larger stuffed figures. "Which one will it be?"
Revy picks the Barsunala one, because that's what Pouncerala wanted. "That one," she says.
It's nearly pillow-sized, and has shiny polished buttons for eyes. Not quite silver but white, which is close enough. And of course long white hair. The Karnor takes down from the shelf above the bottles and hands it over. "Two more tries," she reminds.
Revy hands over the stuffed toy first to Pouncerala before she turns back and makes another go. Like before, she tests the ring weight and figures out it's unbalanced point, then makes another attempt to ring the bottle.
Pouncerala makes a squee sound when she gets her hands on the plushie.
There's more bouncing, but this time it lands in the middle row. "You've got some skills!" the Karnor says, grinning. "You can pick a prize from the middle shelf!" These are much like the big prizes, just smaller. Hand-sized.
Revy hmmms. She picks a Gorphat one, since it goes with her hair.
These dolls come with little cords, so someone could tie them to their wrist, or into their hair is needed. Gorphat never looked so cute. There aren't even any stains or other decorations that indicate her general dampness. It also squeaks when squeezed.
So, Revy ties it it in her mess of green hair for now. Also, that was just too adorable. Last throw, now. She checks the weight on the last ring, then makes another attempt.
This one actually makes it to the far tier, only to bounce backwards down to the lowest tier. It still catches on a bottle though! "Wow, you're doing better than anyone else tonight," the wolf says, eye-patch back on her left eye again. She points out prizes that aren't plush, but are carved from wood or made from ceramic. These figures also have more realistic proportions, and joints. Well, marionette-style joints anyway.
Revy purses her lips. For that one she picks Sunala. She also ponders playing again, and glances back at Pouncerala.
The cat girl is hugging her Barsunala plush and grinning madly, her tail swishing around. The little Sunala doll comes with shredded wings, and looks like it can be hung up as a charm.
Revy hangs that one around her neck. "Any others you want?" she asks Pouncerala. "I could try for some more."
"You gotta try for the whole set," the Karnor encourages.
Revy fishes out another coin and tosses it to the Karnor.
"I like what I have," Pouncerala says.
Three more rings are handed over, and the wolf steps aside. As before, the rings aren't balanced.
Revy as before tests the ring weight to figure out where it's weighted, then gives it a toss.
Another catch on a bottle in the near row, after more bouncing shenanigans. "Four in a row!" the wolf cheers. "What'll it be this time?"
"This time ... Blakat," Revy declares.
The little doll comes with a cudgel, fiery red hair and a toothy grin that spreads from cheek to cheek. A lot of attention to detail there!
"These are impressive for carnival dolls," Revy has to admit. She tucks that one in her side pouch, then goes for the next ring. More weight testing, then she flips it!
This ring sails and spins, almost dancing over several bottle necks before sliding down one at the back row. The furthest bottle, even. "I sense that you've done this before," the Karnor says, eye-patch having swapped sides again. "What will it be then? Another divinity? A Naga you can wrap around your neck?"
Revy hmmmms. She taps her cheek a few times too. "Barada," she decides. No idea what she'll do with a giant Barada, but hey!
The big plushie is handed over. Cricket would certainly appreciate it. "Ah, most go for Inala you know," the wolf says and winks. "But the Barada one has a secret pouch hidden in her back."
"And I know someone who will love this," Revy says. "And I have one more try!"
"Make it count, because I really shouldn't let you keep playing after this," the Karnor laughs.
Revy hmphs, "I thought you wanted me to get the whole set." She tests the last ring and gives it a toss!
The final ring doesn't bounce, spin or dance! It lands directly onto the same bottle as the previous toss, that still has the old ring on it! "Gah! That's like splitting an arrow with another arrow!" the wolf says, smacking her cheeks theatrically. "Why, it makes this game seem super easy where anyone can win!" She says this a bit louder, since there are a few spectators to Revy's prowess. "I'm running out of big prizes. So.. just this one time.. I'll let you take a big prize or two medium ones."
Revy taps her chin. Two medium ones would be better and less likely to draw ire. "Inala," she requests for one of them. "Rephath," she asks for the other.
The Rephath one comes with a tiny set of scales (although they just use string instead of chains) and the Inala one somehow looks sultry. And is anatomically correct for some reason (the plush is too small for the obvious reason).
"Right, so ... I guess I'm not alowed to play anymore, huh? I'm short just one Zakaro," Revy laments.
The wolf looks around. Then leans in to whisper to Revy, "Tell you what, pass me a shekel and you can have one of the little ones. Or just have your friend try."
"Do you want to try?" Revy asks Pouncerala?
"Oh yeah!" Pouncerala says. "I'll win you that Zakaro!" she declares.
So, Revy hands over the coin and steps to the side so Pouncerala can play!
The cat weighs each ring in her hand before selecting one. She then closes one eye, leaving the silver one open and sticks out her tongue. The tossed ring falls between bottles in the middle row. Undeterred, she tries again. This time it falls between bottles in the last row. "Alright, I think I have it now," she says, and the third ring lands on a bottle in the middle row. The wolf dutifully hands down the mid-sized Zakaro plush. It's got the weird symbols sewn onto it, even.
"Nice!" Revy cheers. "That's actually quite hard to do. I used to run these kinda games, so I know the play," she tells Pouncerala, then grins at the wolf. "Thanks for being a good sport about it."
"Ah, I thought you seemed to know what you were doin', now I know why!" the woman laughs. And then she takes off her eye-patch and offers it to Revy. Both of her eyes look perfectly normal.
Revy takes the patch and peers at it. "Yeah, family used to run booths like this. I know how you make it harder. Can't always counter it, but it helps," she says and shrugs a bit. "These will be great gifts for people, though. Plus, you made my friend's day. Thank you."
"Have fun kids," the Karnor says, and pulls a fresh eye-patch out of her pocket. "Come and try your skill!" she calls out to the next person in line.
Revy is now laden with silly plushes, but hey, it was fun! She can give the Barada one to Cricket, after all. She'll likely need to keep Inala and Gorphat or they'll gripe. And she'd never give away Sunala.
All of the games seem to have the same prizes, and others are carrying around plush figures. Soon they come across more and more children, and the sounds of music and storytelling. They've entered the puppet-theater section.
"Alright!" Pouncerala says. "Puppets!"
"So ... Puppet show then?" Revy asks, grinning. She realizes how much Pouncer doesn't get out at all. So even this was like winning a great prize, and it's just a show. "C'mon, let's find a good seat then!"
Being taller than most of the audience, they can see just fine from the back. The show is already going, and there on the little stage is.. Sunala! Or really, Srinala. There's a miniature scaffold, and puppets dressed in fancy clothes about to be hanged. "You've all been super naughty to children!" puppet-Sunala says. "So now you have to go to Hell and all of your money is going to be taken away!" This gets cheers from the children, especially when the fancy puppets fall and dangle from their nooses.
"Sunala is... popular?" Pouncerala whispers to Alptraum.
"She is. She's seen as championing for true justice these days," Revy whispers back. "Herr son's actions have boosted her popularity a lot. Seen as those that will stand for the forgotten and powerless."
Next is a skit about another noble. This one Revy recognizes as well. This time Rephath is there, passing judgment, and the noble just falls apart, one limb at a time. It's clearly meant to be Hastur Velkarno, who Alptraum melted. This brings more laughing and cheering from the children, because children love seeing horrible things apparently. At least in Babel. It's not like there are any nice fairy-tales for Eeee.
And these were horrible people that finally found some sort of justice in the end. She leans over and whispers to Pouncerala, "These stories are mostly true. People who could no longer hide their crimes and facing judgement for them. I know all of these. I was there." And then she goes back to watching, and wondering a little if she had done the right thing.
The next one actually features the Barsunala! In it he's battling Bardiphath, made to look exceptionally gory (and one of them has a baby Eeee in her mouth). This time there are special effects, as the Barsunala can apparently make people explode. And then a silver dragon swoops down and burns the last cultist with fire made of flowing ribbons.
"Is that one true too?" Pouncerala asks. "You can make people explode?"
"That's embellished a bit. I don't make people explode," Revy whispers.
There are more mini-morality plays. They all seem to focus on more recent events though, rather than delving into the lore of the Sisters or the whole deal with the High Princess or Sabaoth. Of course everything ends the same way, with the 'bad' people meeting horrible ends. And then there's a goofy bit where all of the puppets come back to play Blakatball.
Dealing with trauma often involves humor. So turning these events into silly stories is a way to help others deal with it and find a way to laugh again. Even Revy is laughing again, remembering the one Blakatball game she ever saw, on a date with Phlagaea, and where the players were afraid of touching the Yodhgorphat. Weird, but fun day, that. She glances towards Pouncerala every so often too, to make sure she's still having fun.
The cat's attention is glued to the performance, and she even laughs when the children do. Definitely starved for entertainment, but the Srinala half has probably never seen anything like this.
Revy puts an arm and a wing around Pouncerala, so she doesn't feel alone during this either. It really must be hard being in the temple alone most of the time.
"This is amazing," Pouncerala says. "We don't get a lot of news from the Yodhsunala. Even if these are exaggerated."
"I wonder why they don't tell you what's going on," Revy says quietly. "So you don't worry?"
"I don't think they consider it important," Pouncerala says. "I mean, most things are below Sunala's notice outside of the temple itself."
"Not really true, though," Revy says, "I talk to her and tell her things. She's aware of what goes on"
"I guess they just don't care to tell me and Srinala then," Pouncerala says.
"Or they're protecting you," Revy says and hugs her. "Ask them to tell you. I'll try to remind them to as well."
The Blakatball skit seems to be the last one for awhile (since they need to untangle all of the puppets) and the children and getting up and talking about the circus.
Revy unfolds her wing and gets up, then offers a hand to Pouncerala to get up too. "Let's see what else there is, eh? We've still got time," she says, all smiles.
"What's a circus?" Pouncerala asks she gets to her feet.
"Shows, acrobats, clowns, magic acts. I used to be part of one," Revy admits. "Arial stunts."
"Wow!" the girl says excitedly. "Let's go see that!"
"It's silly, but sure!" Revy says, and even squeaks the Gorphat hanging from one of her braids. She loops her arm in with Pouncerala's and once she hears just where the circus is, starts heading that way.
The Seven Wonders Circus consists of a gigantic tent, decorated with scenes from across Sinai.. and possibly beyond. The tickets are ten shekels each, as well, and any snacks or drinks will probably be expensive too. It's not enough to break Revy's purse, though. She's not very familiar with how much things cost in Babel, though, so isn't sure if it's a bargain or not.
And not like Revy uses money for much, other than weird debauchery events or body art. So she's actually doing something good with it for now. She pays willingly, and guides her friend in and about. It's bringing back a lot of old memories and pangs of some regret for not being in a simpler time.
The bleachers are crowded, so it takes time to find seats. But they're just in time to see the Gooshurm Tamer, an actual fox, make the worm-like beasts do slow tricks. These are usually catching balls with their tongues and tossing them back and forth. This is followed by a slightly more dangerous act, involving a beast that the ringmaster calls a Maw, from the far-off Wandering Roams. It looks like a fang-filled mouth on stubby legs with a light-up bulb on the end of a narrow tail. The trainer this time is a Titanian, as anything smaller could be swallowed whole. It's also able do to more tricks than the Gooshurm.
"Huh, another fox. Hexen would have a conniption," Revy remarks, more interested in the fox than the Gooshurm! The Titanian also attracts some interest, and that mouth ball thing, that kind of creeps her out a bit. She'd rather NOT meet one of those. Oof.
There are more weird animals from across the world, with a lot of the weirder ones from Lamu and the Wandering Roams. But there are also ones like trained Creens that sing together, and Lacinus that 'shapeshift' before the clowns arrive.
"You've really never seen anything like this before?" Revy whispers to Pouncerala. "Mine wasn't this large or involved. Just a couple dozen of us total. But similar stuff, just smaller scale."
"Nothing at all like this," Pouncerala claims. "I've heard of private zoos, but never saw one! So many creatures! And.. what are those?" she asks about a troupe of colorfully painted Hookas that tumble into the ring. The collide and pratfall and literally fall to pieces. Then others juggle those pieces, the flying heads making honking noises. The creatures are reassembled into different shapes next.
"Hookas, they're from a desert area. Weird creatures, same place Nohbakim come from, I think. Or at least close by them," Revy explains. She shrugs a bit, adding, "I've only ever seen a few. They're weirder than I am."
"They're alive?" Pouncerala asks in amazement. "Imagine swapping body parts."
"I change body parts, sometimes extensively. I've been a naga, a grok, and every gender," Revy points out in whisper.
"But you don't pull bits off though," Pouncerala says. The Hookas are followed by dancers. In this case, Kujakus! The dance of course involves sweeping and fanning their tails. Another race not seen in Babel.
Revy has to concede that, "True." She does not mention things that happen at Mount Gorphat. She's now just watching the birds, and feeling .... annoyed. They remind her of Gallis.
At least the dance is nice, and unlike anything Revy's seen before. Next is a Savanite. It stands in the center of the ring on a pedestal while the band plays something operatic. And then the Savanite starts to sing, in a deep voice that carries well. It shocks the audience!
That makes Revy nearly spit and fall over! There is no way that's an actual Savanite. She also looks worriedly to Pouncerala, since she isn't either, and what she is, a curse of a sort. Is this another one?
Pouncerala is also shocked, her mouth hanging open. She starts patting Revy on the arm, as if making sure she is seeing the same thing. The singing is also very good, even if it's Chronotopian. They do tend to go for opera though. When he takes his bow, the ringmaster says, "Cheer! Cheer for Mister Spots.. the Nohbakim!" Apparently they don't all have to look like randomly put together creatures.
"Okay, so ... that was a Nohbakim," Revy manages out after the shock passes. And then she's hit .. will Pouncerala be upset? It's hard being the only one like, well, you. Revy feels that at times too, even though she is nominally an Eeee still.
"Nohbakim can look like that?" Pouncer asks in amazement. "I thought they were all.. half-bug and stuff."
"So did I," Revy admits. "Unless he's just claiming to be that, but isn't. I wonder how I could find out."
More Nohbakim come out, each looking different from the last. The lift up Mister Spots and carry him for a victory lap around the ring, and the crowd goes wild.
Revy tries to get a good look at his legs and feet as he's carried around.
They look like Savanite feet. Of course, he's wearing a costume so not all of his body is visible.
"Okay, yeah, not Paradys-born," Revy murmurs to Pouncerala. "Sorry. He's got Savanite feet."
"I'm not keen to meet any relatives, so that is comforting," Pouncerala says. "I wonder what Savanites must think of him though."
"Probably shocked," Revy admits. "And I hope you do have relatives that aren't ... well ... evil incarnate."
"Most of them were killed," Pouncerala says, without any emotion. "Maybe all of them."
"I'm sorry," Revy says.
"Don't be," Pouncerala says. "I'm not."
"It still sucks to be alone and different," Revy notes.
"I'm not really alone," Pouncerala says. "I do have a family. And nobody had this sort of reaction when I was younger on Rephidim. I mean, I don't look like a Savanite to anyone that actually knows them well. I'm too short for one thing!"
"And you have family here too. Me, for one. Not that that is probably any comfort," Revy says.
"So... what sort of family are you to me then?" Pouncerala asks, a bit mischievously. "Big brother?" she suggests.
"Or sister, depending on what I'm wearing at the time. I mean right now I'm kinda fully female," Revy points out.
"What else can you be?" Pouncerala asks as the ring is being set up for something that looks like an obstacle course. "Can you be an animal?"
"Sure, I've been several, including a grok and a hog," Revy answers. "Why?"
With big eyes, Pouncerala asks, "What's the fluffiest, cuddliest thing you can be?"
"Well, Lapi of course, but that's not an animal. Hmmm," Revy says as she ponders. "Rughrat, maybe."
"A bunny? You can be a cuddly bunny?" Pouncerala asks. "I knew a few Lapi in the Temple Scouts. They looked really soft."
"Pretty easily, yeah," Revy agrees warily. "Why do you ask ... ?"
"Well... to have one to cuddle in bed," the girl says, with a bit of embarrassment. A vendor passes nearby, selling 'safe' Oghnoighs for children to play with.
"Male or female?" Revy asks next, eying her some.
Pouncerala blinks. "What's the difference?" she asks.
"Depends on if you want more than cuddles," Revy waffles.
"What do you mean?" the girl asks, just before the music starts up and a troupe of Kavi acrobats tumble into the ring.
"Sex, Pouncer," Revy remarks to the girl, then turns her attention to the Kavi. She also reaches up and absently pets on the Gorphat doll.
Pouncer makes a squeaky noise and covers her face. "That's.. that's just a stereotype though. Lapis aren't really like that are they?" she whispers to Revy.
"A lot of them are, I'm afraid," Revy notes in a whisper back. "So I assume female Lapi if any then to reduce that."
"Reduce?" Pouncerala asks, her silver eye peeking out between two fingers. The band does a drumroll as the Kavis prepare for a stunt.
"Two girls can still enjoy each other," Revy notes as she watches the Kavi on display.
It looks like the one of the Kavi is about to be launched up into the air. Straight up!
"I hope they catch him. Otherwise, splat," Revy comments as she watches.
"What?" Pouncerala says, then drops her hands to watch as the Kavi is launches straight up into the air, dangerously high! Only to be caught at the peak by another Kavi on a trapeze. Then released and flung to another Kavi on another trapeze!
"What, what?" Revy asks absently. She's generally impressed with their technique! They have no wings but they're doing well. Since Eee are common here, this is probably more exotic than expert fliers.
While all eyes are on the trapeze show, several trampolines are brought out, so that when the thrown Kavi 'misses' being grabbed, there's just enough time for the audience to gasp before she's being bounced back up into the air again! And she's not alone, as several others are now bouncing between the trampolines. They undo their belt-sashes with turn into long streamers. It's a bit like a juggling act, just with Kavi instead of pins.
"Okay, now that I've not seen before. Trampolines and wings don't play well together. Too easy to break something," Revy comments, making mental notes.
It's hard to imagine Hexen flying through the air like that without flailing and screaming though. Something is being rolled out into the center of it all now, covered by a cloth.
Revy is quite sure he'd be screaming and flailing like an idiot. He never had much grace. Now she's eying the thing being rolled out, pondering just what that is. Doubt it's anything dangerous.
When the cloth is pulled back, there's a monster under it! Well, it's a big Naga, but it's dressed up like a dragon, with horns and such. It's even got wooden chains holding it down (sort of). There's some sort of box or horn being blown to make it roar.
"Hah, a Naga. Wonder if it'll eat the Kavi?" Revy wonders. "They do that, you know. For fun."
"What?" Pouncerala repeats herself.
"What? Naga get off on squirmy things in their throat," Revy explains.
This Naga also breathes fire! It might have something to do with the bottle it has in one hand, but it still look impressive.
"Cheap booze does that," Revy remarks.
An odd mouthpiece is passed to the 'dragon', which it holds up. There's a hoop on it, which is then set ablaze.
"Heh, jumping through a ring of fire, is it?" Revy comments. "Used to fly through those. Now the only rings of fire I have is if I eat something too spicy."
"I didn't think there'd be so much fire," Pouncerala says, just before the remaining Kavi on the ground begins juggling torches in a circle around the dragon.
So now there are flying, burning obstacles as well as the hoop. But the bouncing Kavis flying through it, their streamers bursting into flame as well while the 'dragon' tries to rotate the hoop with its mouth to make sure it's in position for the next flying Kavi.
"What's wrong with fire?" Revy has to ask. She's now rather impressed by the antics. That takes a lot of coordination.
Finally, the trapeze Kavi swing by, hanging by their knees and let go to tumble through the air. Each sprays the hoop with water from their mouths to extinguish it, and the jugglers all throw their torches (in arches) into a big barrel of water. "Let me hear some applause for Piti Tavernum's Dragon Dancers!" the ringmaster calls out.
Revy whistles out and claps! "Bravo! Well done!" she cheers, grinning.
It's lost in all of the other applause, and the acrobats all blow kisses and do backflips out of the ring, even the 'dragon' takes a bow as its wheeled out.
"Those bouncy-things look like fun," Pouncerala says. "There was a place on Rephidim that was going to have something like that, I think. The old Wheelierama! But it exploded."
"Surprised the Naga didn't slither out," Revy comments. "And like I said, they're fun if you don't have wings or the like to break."
"It was wearing a pretty elaborate costume, so maybe slithering would have ruined it," Pouncerala suggests. The Hooka-clowns return, while the trampolines are being removed.
"Fair," Revy has to admit. "Clowns are used, by the way, during act switches to keep the crowds distracted. Also helps pick-pockets," she explains.
That causes Pouncerala to hug her plush toy tighter, to make sure it isn't stolen. "Hah, I don't have anything in my pockets," she declares triumphantly.
"My pockets are special," Revy jokes. Well slightly jokes, it's somewhat true. And she's hidden things in, er, places.
"Not easily picked then?" the feline asks. And starts to really look at Revy's clothes.
"Not easily picked, or poked," Revy jokes, grins. "Women come with builtin pockets."
"No they don't," Pouncerala challenges. "I've got no built-in pockets, otherwise I could carry stuff into the bath with me!"
"Yes you do," Revy says with a grin. "You just haven't figured out how to use it that way."
The girl blinks a few times, brow furrowed, then her eyes go wide and mouth drops open. "I'm not a Kadie, I can't keep stuff in my cheeks!"
"Nope, not there," Revy says, still not saying what she's suggesting.
The girls looks at Revy's ears.
"Nope," Revy says.
"Ears are for piercing," Revy claims and flicks her ears to make them jingle.
"But they can be pierced with valuables that can't be picked," Pouncerala points out.
"They can, but they could then be ripped out," Revy admits.
"Well... I give up then!" the girl says, raising her hands up.
"Between your legs," Revy comments, shrugs, and looks back out to the performers.
"Ewwww!" Pouncerala says, sticking out her tongue. The clown pieces are being swept away by a Karnor dressed as a janitor using a comedically-oversized push-broom. The band is now beginning to play a fanfare for the next act.
"Ewww, what? It's part of your body," Revy points out, and shrugs.
"That doesn't make it a purse!" Pouncerala says.
"It can be lots of things, I should know," Revy claims.
The next act gallops out into the ring. Fnerfs! Fnerfs wearing fancy costumes, with Savanites balancing upright on their backs, holding scimitars!
"Okay ... that's also different," Revy has to admit at this display.
What ensues is a fast-paced sword-fight-and-juggling act carried out across the backs of the weaving fox-taurs. The Savanites are dressed as Abu-Dhabian guards from the look of it. And there is a lot of jangling from the costume pieces that the band can't quite cover up, at least to the ears of Eeee.
"Doubt the swords are sharp, but getting hit would still hurt," Revy comments, ears twitching at the noise. But then she makes noise when she moves and is fully decorated.
"It's scary!" Pouncerala says as she watches, entranced. "Do many circus performers get injured or killed doing stuff like this?"
"Injuries are common," Revy has t admit. "Killed isn't very common though."
The battle continues, almost impossible to follow, until.. a spray of blood! Or.. well.. red ribbon, trailing out as one of the Savanites back-flips off of a Fnerf.. into the arms of another Fnerf that runs them out of the ring, all to the gasps of anyone that didn't quite catch that it was fake right away. Mainly children. Including Pouncerala for a moment.
"He's fine, that was just ribbons," Revy whispers to Pouncerala, and pats her knee.
"I know, I can tell when someone dies," Pouncerala claims. The remaining fighters are now leaping to the ground at the center of the formation of Fnerfs, which keep running around them in a circle. Then the taurs pull decorated cloth from under their own shirts, and form a temporary, colorful wall around the fighters. And when they pull the sheets back down, the warriors have been replaced by belly dancers. Still with scimitars though. The music changes and the Fnerfs run out of the ring, to give room from the sword dance that the cheetahs begin.
"They were girls all along?!" Pouncerala gasps in surprise.
"Why is that a surprise?" Revy asks and looks over. "You're a girl. I'm a girl."
"But they were dressed up as men!" Pouncerala says. "I've never done that." Then she's focused on the dancing, which has nearly as intricately choreography as the fight.
"Have you wanted to? Clothing isn't that gendered, you know. Especially in Babel," Revy says, then realizes how easily she just claimed she was a girl. And proud of it.
"I was always just hiding in a cloak," Pouncerala says. "But I assumed everyone knew I was female because I was Srinala's companion."
The sword-dance segues into an actual belly-dance, and this time the music actually quiets a bit so the bells and bangles and other sounds from the costumes can be heard more easily. Savanites are just barely more curvaceous than Eeee, so they get a lot of attention.
"I imagine they didn't care one way or another," Revy notes. "It's not like gender matters much on Mt. Sunala."
Revy also whistles at the dancers! She's enjoying the show! She's been in shows like this recently, even. Granted it was a fight ring breaking, but still, she danced! As a savanite, even.
More dancers suddenly appear. Kavi! They slide upside down from ropes suspended from the top of the tent, also wearing at belly-dancer-decorated leotards. The Kujakus from earlier also show up! This must be the grand finale.
Revy whistles more! Yeah, this is likely the finale, everyone gets involved!
At least the scary animals aren't being brought out, but the ringmaster does return riding the 'dragon' to finish it all off with, "Thank you all! You've been a wonderful audience and have really made the show worthwhile! THANK YOU BABEL!"
Revy stands as she continues to clap and cheer! "Always welcome!" she calls out, "Come back anytime!"
"Next show in two hours!" the ringmaster calls out, as the band plays out all of the dancers and acrobats.
"That was amazing!" Pouncerala says as she claps. "This has been great!"
"Yeah, a circus is a lot of fun," Revy does agree, grinning. "Anything else you want to do?" she asks. Soon she even grins deviously, adding, "We could get you some decorations like mine..."
"There was face-painting, but.." Pouncerala flicks her ears, looking Revy's earrings again. She doesn't seem to look at Revy's face at all, so probably not into nose-rings at the moment.
"I do have them all over," Revy teases, grinning. She knows it's highly unlikely, so is mostly just being an imp. "Do you want to do face painting? I'm game for that too."
"My dad won't throw a fit over earrings," Pouncerala explains. "I've already used up all my rebelliousness coming to Babel!"
"What about face painting?" Revy asks, "And why does it matter if he approved or not?"
It takes time for the bleachers to empty, especially with all of the excited children (some of whom are attempting to belly-dance). "My dad is the Knight of Shadows of the Knights Templar," Pouncerala says. "He's a huge Vartan. HUGE. I can sit in one of his hands. He has this disappointed look he can use. It's withering. Do they have clip-on jewelry, like they do in Abu-Dhabi?"
"Yeah, I'm sure they do. It's more fun to have the hole made, but I do also understand the reluctance. And I'm sure you'd never have your tongue done like mine," Revy notes, and pokes it out in all it's forked glory. "And you're supposed to disappoint your parents, it's a part of living."
"Are you a disappointment?" Pouncerala asks. "Sunala doesn't think so."
"I spend most of my time as a woman and doing weird things, and I put something like two dozen holes in my body," Revy notes. "I'm ... not a paragon of virtue."
"By.. Babelite standards though?" Pouncerala asks, as the steps finally clear enough for them to leave.
"By Babelite standards I'm probably normal," Revy has to concede. "Well, other than my attraction to Gorphat, which is odd even for that."
"But she's a Goddess," Pouncerala says. "And.. uh.. your aunt? Is that.. alright? Wait.. oh. It is, according to the Lore, apparently."
"Yeah, but it's still weird. I mean, I've slept with her," Revy points out.
The expression on Pouncerala's face goes from shocked to.. unconcerned. "That's also normal. Plus.. you know.. Goddess."
"I'm probably a bad influence on you, too," Revy admits.
"I've been in Sunala's presence," Pouncerala points out. "I know what it means to see a Goddess like that. I mean... she's the only one I've met but I assume the others are the same."
"I've been in all their presences, and in spite of their faults, I've grown to care for them all," Revy says. "They've become a part of me and I can't imagine not knowing them now."
"Well, you're the Barsunala," Pouncerala notes as they finally leave the big tent. "It would be pretty weird if you didn't, right?"
"Probably?" Revy says. "So, anyway, face painting? Something else?"
"And also maybe fake jewelry," Pouncerala says. "And I don't know what else, I've never been to anything like this before!"
"Well, we'll start there and see what happens? And should I get any more real jewelry? So you can see how it's done?" Revy asks.
"They have that here?" Pouncerala asks. "Do you still have room?" she then teases.
"Plenty of room," Revy counters, and sticks out her tongue. Which has studs in it of course. "And the place that does it is near here anyway. Buuut ... your stuff first."
It doesn't take long to find Artists Alley. There are paintings, drawings, portraiture and caricature and of course face-painting. Lots of face-painting. Mostly for kids but also lots of adults. The closest free stall is manned by.. a Vykarin. It's washing its brushes in its mouth at the moment.
Revy nudges Pouncerala towards that booth. "My friend here wants her face painted," she says, all cheerfully. "How much?"
"Whole face!" the artist replies. "Oh.. uh.. Shekels!" They then hold up two fingers.
"That's fine," Revy says. She looks to Pouncernala, asking, "So, what do you want? Something Sunala-related? Something related to your dad? If he's good he could paint a beak on you."
The girl covers her nose. "No beak, thank you, but something Sunala related would be nice."
"What's wrong with having a beak? I mean you can't kiss well, but it can be fun," Revy notes. "Okay, so something Sunala related for the little khatta then."
"Arright!" the shelled-wolf-thing says, and points to a mat nearby. Given the way Vykarin arms and hands are placed, it makes sense that the customers need to lie down.
"I've never kissed, officially," Pouncerala says as she lies down.
Revy pokes Pouncernala. "Flop on your back," she says, then grins when she does.
After setting up its palette, the artist looms over Pouncerala, looking down through a pink visor and humming. "Tickrish?" they ask.
"What?" Pouncerala replies in confusion.
"Are you ticklish?" Revy translates.
"Oh.. not on my face, I don't think," Pouncerala says, watching the looming brush descend.
Revy settles out of the way to watch. She also ponders, what in the world would she get?
After a few minutes, the design takes shape. It's a skull, which works well on Pouncerala's black fur. But then there are bits of color, just spots really, until the artist starts attaching polished bits of chitin (probably they're own) that make it look like a jeweled skull.
"Hey, that's pretty good!" Revy says in approval, smiling as she watches. She has no skill with painting, really. Most she knows is how to do some make up, and even that is rather minimal.
Once the Vykarin finishes, Pouncerala asks, "How does it look?" There's only one good mirror at the end of the alley, and it's got a line.
Revy gives a thumbs-up. "It looks really good. He made your face look like a jeweled skull," she explains.
"I have no idea what to get for myself," Revy admits, frowning some. She rubs her be-pierced face a bit, pondering.
The Vykarin looks at Revy, and comments, "Boobs." Then scratches its muzzle and tilts its head in thought.
"Yes, I do have boobs," Revy agrees. "So, since I have green hair, something related to Gorphat or one of her creatures?"
"Carrot?" the artist suggests, then ponders the suggestion of Gorphat.
"I'd rather not look like a carrot," Revy admits.
"Rie down," the Vykarin requests.
Revy's brow goes up, and then her butt goes down. She settles, then lays back and spreads her wings for comfort.
"Crose eyes," the artist requests after getting their colors ready.
That always leads to trouble. But! She closes her eyes anyway, and hopes she doesn't fall asleep and snore.
The backs of her eyelids are the first thing the artist works on, and she can feel that they're drawing another set of eyes there.
"Okay, that feels weird," Revy admits. "You watching?" she asks, probably to Pouncernala.
"Yes, of course, those are weird looking eyes too," Pouncerala remarks. "Kind of like a Rughrat. Rectangular." "Ret dry," the artist instructs, and starts working on Revy's face next, with some sweeping strokes away from her muzzle.
Whiskers? Something else? It'll be a surprise, so that's fun, right? She keeps her eyes closed for not and just sort of twiddles her thumbs and hums. She also ponders what has rectangular eyes? Anything she has been?
There's a lot of work being done on the muzzle. And even her nose! It tickles.
Revy ends up wiggling her nose at times, and squirms because she'd like to scratch it! She can't even speak as it might mess things up.
At least things move one from her nose, and to her cheeks and around her eyes. It seems to be more involved than the skull was, because the artist goes back over spots, probably with different colors. And then, finally, come the bits of chitin to finish it off.
"Arright, boobs, arr done," the Vykarin says.
"Is he calling me boobs? I mean, I love them, but as a name?" Revy thinks as she opens her eyes slowly. "So ... how weird do I look?" she asks Pouncernala. Half-expecting her to be laughing, really.
The girl has a hand over her mouth, but not to stifle laughs. "Ghastly," she finally says. "Like.. your face exploded into a bunch of tentacles and.. bug bits.. and eyes."
"Wha?" Revy asks, blinking. "Now I need to see what he did," she mutters as she looks towards where the mirror is.
The line has shortened a bit, since the 'day' is beginning to end. A few people also get a look at her and make room.
Revy's brow arches. How ugly did he make her?!? She gets into the line and waits for her turn to check out the mirror. She also glances to Pouncernala a lot. "Is it that bad?" she asks.
"I.. don't know," Pouncerala admits. "Srinala doesn't think so. I think it looks like you were in a terrible accident." Eventually Revy gets to look in the mirror. It does look like her skin was peeled back from her nose, which is not a big eye with bedazzled tentacles spreading out to cling to the rest of her face. Most end in pincers.
"Okay ... " Revy says as she blinks a lot. "That's really weird-looking. Interesting, wild. I kinda like it. It's different." She grins a little, and shrugs. "What do you think of yours? We also still need to get you some jewelry. And hey, with mine I think I can clear lines with this face, hee! Free line cuts!"
"Oooo, mine is pretty," Pouncerala says, and makes faces in the mirror. The mirror is practically an attraction in itself. "So where do you get jewelry from?" she asks.
"Well, there are street vendors, but there's also the place called Slaves to Art, where I've had much of my work done," Revy notes. "There's also the place that braided my hair, they might sell them too."
"Well, those sound alright," Pouncerala says. "Whatever we still have time for!"
"Well, we'll just see which one we come to first, then. I think we go ... this way?" Revy says as she heads off. Oddy the people gathered tend to part for her. Gee, I wonder why? The benefits of looking horrible!
The jewelry and 'party' cosmetics appear closer to the where music can be heard, the sort of percussion and bass heavy type Revy has encountered before. There are stands selling costume jewelry and chemical substances, including ones that glow in different colors (likely from bioluminescent insects).
Pouncerala oos at the glowing colors and sparkly gee-gaws.
And so Revy has taken ahold of Pouncerala and pulled her to the stands. "Oooh, look!" the giggles, "Fun stuff. I wouldn't mind some glowing makeup. I wonder if they have any noserings that would work for your snoot," the bat wonders as she starts looking around, grinning impishly.
"I'd look like a pirate," Pouncerala claims, and seems more drawn to the clip-on ear jewelry. There's even faux Abu-Dhabian styles with clips and chains.
"What's wrong with looking like a pirate?" Revy asks and even flicks her actual nosering to make it bounce. "I think I look good with it."
"You have to at least try one! Then you can pick what you like," Revy offers, "I'll cover."
"Ah, conditions," the cat nods. "Alright, so long as I can take it out whenever I want. No piercing!"
"Oh, we'll get to piercing later I'm sure," Revy teases and hip-bumps her. "G'on, try some on!"
The stands with that sort of thing are also popular with Skreeks, apparently. There's even one girl wearing nothing but glowing body paint, her ears laden with clips and rings. "Hello hello, young ladies," the vendor Eeee squeaks. Her hair is starched into a strange shape with clumps of hair coming to points, each a different color. "How can Relsma decorate you! Oooo, you've got some nice faces already I see."
"Well, I've already got lots of decorations!" Revy enthuses, "But she doesn't." And of course the bat pushes Pouncerala forward! "She's shy and embarrassed, but I know she wants to have at least as many as me! Maybe more!" Yeah, Revy's being a brat and teasing her friend.
"Not.. that many," Pouncerala squeaks. "Just one for now."
"You know you waaaaant to," Revy whispers in Pouncerala's ear, then licks it.
"Oh-ho, just one to set you free is it?" the vendor asks. She's got bins full of stuff. "Well, to loosen up.. how about something to go with that nice skull mask you've got?" She proffers something made of bone. It's a nose-clip, ironically, with two balls on the ends to hold it in place.
Revy grins, wide. "G'wan, try it on. That looks adjustable. It'll feel weird at first, but you'll get used to it," she promises. She even reaches over to take the clip. "Or do you want me to fit it on you?"
"I've never stuck anything into my nose before!" Pouncerala asks. "Is it safe?" She eyes the item in Revy's hand suspiciously.
"Oh, I clean them very well," Relsma claims. "Purrrfectly safe for kitties."
"Alright then," the kitty in question says, and then sort of bunches up her face while sticking it out towards Revy, keeping her eyes closed.
"It's plenty safe," Revy says as she approaches with the clip. "Now hold still..." she adds as she opens it just a bit before slipping it around the septum. She squeezes it a bit to snug it up, but not press too hard. She also gives it a light tug to make sure it doesn't fall out. "There we go!"
"Ugh! It pinches!" the girl squeals. "How do you keep it from making.. you.. ah-choo!" Pouncerala sneezes several times in rapid succession.
"You get used to it. It would probably be more comfortable if it went through a hole instead of pinches," Revy offers. "Well, after the hole heals. That hurts at first." She pokes out her forked tongue a little. "Hey, that looks good on you!" she claims as she pats on Pouncerala's back.
The sneezing eventually slows to a stop, and the clip is still there. "Seeee?" Relsma says. "Perfectly fine! Wonderful craftsmanship. That'll be 10 Shekels."
"What about her ears," Revy asks next. "And isn't ten a bit high for that ...?"
"Well, there's a 2 Shekel restocking and cleaning fee from the sneezing," the vendor says with a straight face and a big smile. "But it also gets you a discount on two extra pieces!" She digs around and finds some glowing centipede husks. "These can be shaped to any ear!"
"Well?" Revy asks of Pouncerala. "Want to try those? Something else?"
Pouncerala has her hand over her nose, and eyes the glowing things. "They glow!" she says in awe. "But they're also bugs. Are they dead? Do they bite?"
"Quite dead!" the vendor claims, making the segments click as she curls and uncurls them.
"Go ahead and put 'em on her so she can see how they feel," Revy asks the shopkeep.
After some hmming and hawwing, the Vendor decides to go with the inner edges, hooking the jewelry on so that part extends past the edge of Pouncerala's ears like short glowing antennae, which actually give the illusion that her ears are longer in the dark. The pinkish glow actually gets picked up some of the shiny bits in her mask as well. Of course she flicks her ears a lot, making things flash more.
"Hey, that's pretty cute," Revy gushes. She looks at the keeper, asking, "Gots a mirror for her to take a look?" Her own be-jeweled ears twitch a bit as she comments, "Now I want more. Foo."
The mirror isn't as good as the big one with a line to use, but it's good enough to handle the contrast of the nose-ring to the dark area that's within the skull mask, and the light-up elements are also pretty clear. "Alright, I admit this looks neat," Pouncerala says.
"Now, what about you?" Relsma asks Revy, eyeing the bat up and down.
"Well, I've already gots lots of actual jewelry," Revy points out and makes her ears jingle by waggling them. She even lifts her shirt and shows the bars in her nipples! "So, what would ya suggest?" she asks Relsma.
"Well... a bit of splash to that face paint, maybe," the woman says, and brings up a paint palette. Instead of paints, it's got glowing colored fluids. "The fake eyes on your eyelids could do with a bit of glow. And around your mouth. Other spots if you're daring enough."
"Lookit me, I'm all sortsa daring!" Revy claims, grins wide, and closes her eyes. Yeah, she's daring to the point Pouncerala might be worried! But the cat did want to go out with her! The bat's a wild child, and young, and rather hormonal. And unfettered by things like 'decency'.
Light brush-strokes on the backs of her eyelids tell Revy that the goo is being applied. That and she can see it glowing through them. Green. "Keep 'em closed for a bit," the vendor says, and starts adding bits here and there to Revy's face as well.
Green, of course. Goes with her hair, and of course her lust and desire for Gorphat, though she won't admit that. Her wings twitch a bit, as does her fingers. "So, how's it looking?" she asks of Pouncerala while she keeps her eyes closed.
"It makes the tentacles look like they're alive," Pouncerala says.
"Alright, you can open your eyes," Relsma says, holding up the mirror. The glowing highlights on the the tentacles do it look like they're moving, even though it's probably just an illusion. "Now, take off your top so I can paint your nipples too."
"Is that good or bad?" Revy has to ask. The request to paint her nipples makes her blink. She looks around some to see if anyone else is, well, topless too. Though she's also already working her top off anyway. Possibly to Pouncerala's shame and regret.
The Skreek nearby is completely naked, save for glowing paint, and it's not like it's any big deal in Babel. It does make Pouncerala look.. half shocked? Her silver-eyed side doesn't really react much at all.
Revy sort of smiles and shrugs to Pouncerala. "Guess I'm ruining your image of me," she admits to her friend.
Once things are free, Relsma compliments Revy with, "Quite nice tits you have! No to make them stand out more!" And the brush goes to work, which tickles a bit.
"Yah, I've got a good chest. Lotsa people tell me that. Quite proud of em!" Revy even declares, grinning wide.
"I'm not an Eeee, so can't judge," Pouncerala claims. But the pink lights on her ears do make her blush show up more.
"You can feel 'em if you want," Revy teases her friend, "Once Relsma is done of course."
The vendor paints just the areolas, leaving the pierced teats along. It makes for a green bulls-eye effect, or like that nipples are watching.
"I know what boobs feel like," Pouncerala claims.
"Got stuff down below too," Revy tells Relsma. She also tells Pouncerala, "You don't know what mine feel like, though!"
"Probably just like mine," the feline claims. "They're almost the same size."
"We'll test when I'm done," Revy promises.
"Well these should shine through your top a bit too, even you if you put it back on," Relsma says. "I assume you're going to the dance pit?"
And when her areola are dry, Revy simply reaches over and takes Pouncerala's hands. The lifts them, and puts them right onto her chest, and squeezes! "Of course we are," Revy agrees, and nods. "Should I also get my happy place painted?"
Pouncerala squeaks in surprise, and her claws pop out in reflex!
Revy whinces! "Oy, no claws!" she complains.
"Will you be putting it on display while dancing?" Relsma asks, then chuckles at the mishap. "Or are just not wearing underpants?"
"No underpants," Revy admits, grins, shrugs. "Not planning t' be naked at the dance, but who knows?"
"You'll need to come around this side and sit on the stool then," Relsma says.
"I can't help it, you surprised me!" Pouncerala claims.
Revy extracts Pouncerala's claws, then goes around the stand. Before she sits down on the stool, she drops her pants! She wasn't kidding, she's not wearing underwear, and she has a lot of hardware down there.
"This will be fiddly," Relsma claims, given all there is to work around. "And it's damp. I'll need to switch to a different pigment. Green alright, because it only comes in green?"
"Green is fine," Revy claims. Damp? Is Inala's arousal going active again? Is that why she's acting so weird? She also glances at Pouncerala, and is hoping her friend isn't too horrified.
"Did that all hurt?" the girls asks, looking a bit frightened.
"Yeah, it hurt at the time. Felt good when it healed, through," Revy admits and shrugs at them.
The new glowing stuff is much thicker and feels stickier. It's actually just dabbed on with Relsma's finger instead of using a brush.
"How hard will that be t'wash off?" Revy asks, "What's it made of?"
"It's from a worm found in the Streets Below," the vendor explains. "Only toxic if you eat it. And it washes right off... hey, you're already glowing a bit, but it's a weird glow."
"Weird glow?" Revy asks and bends over to look.
It looks like Sunala's tattoo (now internal) still giving off that weird dark-purple light.
"Oh, yeah, that. Don't mind it," Revy claims and shrugs. She looks back to her friend, now worried they really think she's a freak.
Pouncerala is actually looking towards the music venue now, and at the glow-painted Skreeks nearby.
"We're going there soon," Revy tells her friend. "That is if you can still stand t' be around me, or want to be."
"I asked to come out with you," Pouncerala says. "And see Babel. This is part of seeing Babel! And I haven't danced in forever."
"And you don't think I'm an utter weirdo?" Revy asks, and squirms a little.
"If you were a weirdo, there wouldn't be stands like this painting people's private parts," Pouncerala points out, resorting to logic.
"Oh, so you're going to have it done too, then?" Revy asks with a grin.
"Well, no," Pouncerala says. "I've already got my ears glowing," she claims. "I wouldn't want to draw attention away from them."
"Next time, then," Revy says with a grin. She lets the vendor finish up, then she lets it set for a bit before she rises up and pulls her pants up. Her shirt, though, she ties around her waist and leaves her breasts on full display. "So, shall we go check out the dance? Up for being seen with a topless bat? Wanna go topless too?"
"I think I want to dance a bit first before taking my clothes off," Pouncerala says, but doesn't seem to mind Revy going topless. It means less attention on her, after all!
Revy puts her arm around Pouncerala's shoulders. She uses her free hand to pay the shopkeep for the jewelry and the painting, probably more than she'd like, but pays it anyway. This is all for Pouncerala, afterall. Then off they go towards the dance area. "So," she whispers to her, "You really don't think less of me? Taking on new bodies influences behavior, and I feel kinda like a kid again. I'm sorry if I've ruined how you saw me, though."
"I never saw you like a girl my age before," Pouncerala says. "It's been kinda fun knowing that it makes you feel like one though. It's more real that way, and I don't feel like a child as much."
The dance area is full of younger folk like themselves, all bouncing and gyrating and whatever works best for their body types. Some spots are clustered tight, and others have more open space (especially where Fnerfs are flailing their tails about). There are a lot of Skreeks, nearly as many as there are Eeee.
"Yeah, I feel like the bodies I wear, and it's given me a chance to just have fun in ways I never could before," Revy admits. "Sometimes I do go a bit wild, but ... it's safe for me to? And it's fun. Makes dealing with awful things easier. So, if you see me with any guys tonight, uh, things might happen." She kisses Pouncerala's cheek, then goes into the dance area, arms raised and wings drawn in as she joins into the dance, rolling and gyrating to the music! And her bared chest .. bouncing nicely too.
Pouncerala hurries to keep close, and dances very differently. Must be a Rephidim style! It's definitely very feline, which stands out since there just aren't that many non-Savanite cats in Babel. They soon have some Skreek partners, who also have paint.. but it looks more like they were randomly hit with paint bombs of different colors. Since some of it is also on their clothes, that may actually have been the case.
Revy of course draws in close to her skreek partner, to the point of grinding against him. She even leans in and liiiiicks along his cheek! She likes rats! Maybe because they're tied to Gorphat? Who knows! Skreeks and Savanites are her jam! Her ears even say so!
"Hi there," the Skreek says, and grinds against Revy. "I'm Vesten," he introduces himself.
Revy leans in and says, "Revy" in a breathy voice into his ear, then nips it. "Like green, do you?"
"I like lots of colors!" the rat claims, as he is indeed covered in a rainbow colors. And brown too, where some of them overlap. "I like your boobs! Not many bouncy Eeee."
"I like 'em too. Gotta be on display so others can admire," Revy even claims as she takes his hands and puts them right on them!
"Nice! Do they change shape when you flap your wings?" the Skreek asks as he fondles, which is a neat trick to do while dancing.
"A little! Muscle under them and all. They can bounce uncomfortably when flying, though, so gotta tie em in," Revy admits. Her dancing shifts up a bit, to where she's doing a bit more of a slinky sort of belly-dance she's seen Khatka and others do back when she really was young.
Vesten tries to match the moves, despite being a male Skreek. Still, he manages pretty well. Behind him, a similarly paint-bombed Skreek is dancing with Pouncerala in an exaggerated way to make her laugh.
Revy is really up and close against the skreek she's with, and her hands are, well, exploring him. Chest and crotch at times. In spite of that, she keeps flicking her eyes to the side to keep an eye on Pouncerala. She can't let her get into actual trouble.
The other two are still dancing and chatting and apparently telling jokes. The Skreek has been keeping his hands to himself, either out of politeness or because he's wary of Khatta claws.
"That your friend with Oscral?" Vesten asks Revy. He's still got her breasts firmly in hand, but is being a little sneaky with his tail to match Revy's groping.
"Yah, that's my friend. We're here together. Glad t' see your friend is treatin' her well. She's ... not used to Babel and wouldn't handle what we're doing well," Revy admits. She leans in and licks him under her chin, then up his nose and between his eyes.
The paint on his fur tastes tangy, like it's fruit-based. It also makes the Skreek laugh. "I wonder what you look like without that painted mask," he says. "And Oscral is harmless. Still a virgin and all."
"So's my friend. I'm not, though," Revy says. "And I look beautiful, of course. Stunning! To die for!"
"Oh? So not gonna get some disease if I kiss you then?" Vesten asks, eyes twinkling.
"I honor Gorphat, but no worries, I'm clean," Revy claims, just before she brings her arms around his neck and pulls him in for a kiss! And introduces him to what kissing someone with a forked tongue feels like.
The tongue is what surprises the Skreek the most, making his eyes go wide and making his hands squeeze harder. "Dat was unexpected!" he says once the lip-lock is broken. Then he play-bites Revy's neck.
When the kiss is broken, she even pokes her tongue out so he can see it's forked on the tip. That ends pretty quickly though when he play-bites her neck. That makes her shiver and gasp.
More bites and nibbles continue, along with the hip grinding. At least Pouncerala looks relaxed from this vantage, even though Revy is really only seeing the back of her head. The Skreek boy, Oscral, looks relaxed as well, at least. Who names their kid Oscral though?
Revy's grinding against the skreek, and ... yeah, she can tell at this point she's rather, er, aroused. Yet, she does keep looking towards Pouncerala. As much as she wants to just ravish this rat, she's not going to let Pouncerala get into trouble, and that means keeping watch and never going, well, too far. Even if she really wants to.
There's a pause in the music as the band takes a break, and so dancing winds down for a time, letting people catch their breath. Pouncerala and Oscral just take the time to talk. Vesten takes the time to try and make out with Revy some more.
Revy isn't against making out more, but she does always try to position things so she can keep an eye on Pouncerela. Even when she's got that long tongue of hers back in Vesten's mouth. "Were you hoping you'd catch a disease from me?" she teases the rat between kisses, too.
"Not hoping, but willing to try," the rat claims, and laughs. "No private spots out here though."
"Well, I gotta keep an eye on my friend and make sure she's safe," Revy says, "So as much as I wanna ride you, I can't. Not right now. I promised her I would keep her safe, it's important for me to keep."
"Well, gotta keep your word," Vesten agrees. "Still, I'm glad I get to fondle your breasts!" He still hasn't let got since she put his hands on them. He's probably going to have glowing palms after much longer. "Where do you hang out when you're not with your friend?"
"Varies. Sometimes I even work at a brothel," Revy admits without any hint of shame about it. "Why, wanting to look me up for that ride sometime?"
"How could I not after having a taste?" the rat says. "Plus, you're into me for some reason. Most girls don't give me a second glance!"
"Really? That's odd," Revy says and shrugs. "I'll whisper the brothel location to ya later, then. Just ask em if 'Willing Toy' is working."
"Dat a telling moniker," the rat notes. The band is back and warming up again.
"I work there willingly, and when I'm there, I can be treated like a slave," Revy notes, grins. Just before the band starts, she leans in and whispers the address to him. She leans over his shoulder and calls to Pouncerala, "You doing okay?"
"Hmm?" Pouncerala says as she turns around. "Oh, yeah. This is Oscral, Revy. I've never talked to a Skreek for this long before!"
Revy waves to him. "Hiya Oscral, nice to meetcha," she says, "You be treating my friend like a lady!"
"I kinda forget that she's a girl," Oscral says. "Makes it easier to talk." How one could forget that Pouncerala is a girl is a mystery.
"She's a good friend and super nice," Revy says. "And too shy to go topless." That last bit has Revy poking her tongue out at Pouncerala.
That makes the cat cross her arms over her chest! "Revy!" she chides, and Orscral laughs. "You're all black, would it even be noticed?" he asks.
Revy just grins wide. "Be proud of your body!" she jokes. "And also have better self respect than your dumb bat friend named Revy."
"I am proud, just don't need others to see it," Pouncerala claims.
"I've seen it," Revy claims, waggles her brow.
"Well... you don't count," Pouncerala claims. "It doesn't matter what your body looks like," Oscral claims.
Revy holds her chest. "I don't count?" she asks, sounding hurt. "I don't count?! We're practically family! I'm hurt!"
"That's why you don't count!" Pouncerala says.
"Hmph!" Revy huffs. "So, I should just drag this skreek off and break his brain?" she teases, "Since I don't count. I guess you don't need me!"
"Family can see you naked and not care," Pouncerala claims. "That's what I mean. Not that I don't need you!"
"Her nipples aren't pierced lime mine anyway," Revy teses a little more. "But I'm working on that."
"Well, I've got no problem with that," Oscral claims. This makes Pouncerala blush and asks, "Wait.. so you want to see them then?"
The Skreek suddenly looks terrified. There's no correct answer to that question! "Uh.. well.. I mean.. I've never seen a Khatta before," he waffles.
Revy cackles! "Ya broke the poor guy!" she giggles.
"I'm sorry!" Pouncerala apologizes. "I'm not used to boys!"
"Oh man, I used to get even more flustered," Vesten claims and laughs.
Revy pokes out her tongue. "They're just people like anyone else," she says. "Glad yer having a good time with 'em. Makes me happy." Good thing too, because, egad she's horny. "Oh, you did? I bet I could bring that back," she teases him, while a hand slips down his pants to pillage his, er, pole.
This causes the rat to laugh nervously and squirms a bit. With the music playing again, it could be mistaken for dancing. "Oooo-ahh!" the rat yodels.
Revy withdraws her hand, and while looking him right in the eyes, licks her hand with long coils of her forked tongue. And then she just goes right back to dancing.
"You're pretty.. uh.. forward aren't you?" Vesten chuckles as he dances with Revy. "Too bad there aren't any alleys up here, 'cept maybe between the animal cages at the circus."
Oscral is dancing with Pouncerala, and definitely not try to look down her shirt.
"It's a good thing, yes," Revy says as she leans in to whisper, "Otherwise I'd drag you to one, be on my knees, and be working to suck you dry." Egad, yeah, she's a bit on the hormonal side right now, even with most of Inala's blessing not even active. At least it keeps her from being drippy down there.
"Ah..ha..hahaha.." Vesten laughs nervously. "Where were you when I was.. well, where were you yesterday for that matter! You are driving me crazy," the rat claims.
Revy just winks and pokes out her very forked tongue and wiggles it at him. She goes right on dancing.
So, feeling emboldened, Vesten moves his hands down to the insides of Revy's shorts and squeezes her butt. Because she has one, which is much more than can be said for most Eeee women.
Instead of slapping the rat, she just pushes closer and sort of grinds herself against him. "Like what you're finding, hmm?" she teases, then licks his nose playfully.
"This is gonna get messy soon if we don't.. don't.. uh," the Skreek says, his train of thought derailing before reaching the conclusion on his thought. He starts looking around frantically. At least they're still on the outskirts of the dance party, close to vendors and out-houses and such.
"Don't what?" Revy teases. She does glance towards Pouncerala as she really can't leave her friend alone; she's her escort after all!
"We can't stop," the man whimpers. "Mebbe you could hide us in yer wings though..." he babbles. Maybe Revy broke his brain.
Revy glances around. She takes Vesten and carefully pulls him towards the out-house area for some privacy. "We can't be gone very long, so ya gotta let me handle ya," she murmurs to the rat as she tries to find some privacy.
The out-houses are pretty well made, and of varying sizes. The Fnerf-sized one is just being exited, with the former occupant fanning his tail to clear the air.
Well, choices being limited, Revy drags the rat into that one due to the size, and closes the door, then latches it. She soon taps Vesten's nose and as she said earlier, she's soon down on her knees and undoing his pants. "I guess this can come out to play now," she teases. And once those pants are out of the way, she leans right in, and licks, while looking right up at the rat. Her tongue soon coils about the distressed bit of the male's anatomy and she starts to, well, nurse on him.
Vesten was already half-way aroused during the dance and is soon at full mast and making rapid-fire squeaks, some of theme reverse-squeaks while he sucks in his breath.
Revy may look young, but egad does she have some skill at what she's doing. She can bring the rat right to the edge, then back off and stop him from peaking. And she does, several times. All the while looking up at him. Rat's are Maab's favored, Maab's related to Gorphat, and the bat does have fondness for them, either as Maab or Gorphat. So she 'worships' on the rat as if he were an altar of praise. Her hands alternate in holding his hips still, and groping his butt.
Vesten seems paralyzed, except for his fingers and toes which flex like little indicators of where he is in terms of excitation. His tail is wrapped around Revy's arm, but isn't telling her much, and his eyes seem to be closed. His breathing and squeaking does get much more labored as the bat works though. She'll need to be careful not to make him pass out!
His reactions amuse Revy greatly! But alas she knows she can't keep this up forever, or to the point he does pass out. So, back to that edge she works the poor guy, then just ... keeps on going. It's kinda like blood, so counts as a meal, right? Ah, the justifications of a horny vampire.
"GAHABLAH!" the Skreek bellows when he pops, and seems about to collapse until he grabs onto Revy's head for balance.
And Revy has a very salty meal! That she swallows. And keeps nursing on him until he produces no more. She also ends up grunting a bit as she has to hold him up some! And now ... she can't go anywhere until he lets go. She does at least stop tormenting him so he can think again. Maybe.
The rat's legs are very shaky, so he might be being held up strictly by the constriction of his pants when he finally lets go of Revy.
Revy pulls her mouth off with a wet pop, then she licks the tip playfully. As she rises, she pulls his pants back up. "Told ya what I would dooo," she coos in his ear. "Tasty."
"Oh.. uh.. yer welcome?" Vesten babbles, still not thinking quite clearly yet.
"I gotta make sure my friend is okay, or I'd do more cuz, uh, yeah," Revy says and pats his cheek. And she leaves the poor rat for the moment to sneak back out and look for Pouncerala, already feeling guilty for indulging that bit of hedonistic desire.
It takes a moment to find her charge, since Pouncerala is not dancing! She and Oscral went to a drink vendor to get something cool, apparently. The black Khatta waves from a bench.
Revy saunters her way over. She can't help herself, those hips of hers sway. "So, how're you two doing?" she asks as she approaches. "Staying out of trouble? Or at least pretending to?" She grins.
"We wanted to cool down, and Oscral got me some pala-juice," Pouncerala says, and looks around Revy. "Where's Vesten?"
"Recovering. I might have worn him out," Revy says with a grin and doesn't elaborate. "Glad to see you having a lot of fun," she says, "And if I'm being too protective or hovering, just tell me. Don't want to ruin your fun time."
"I need you to get me home before curfew," Pouncerala says. "And you also know how to have fun that won't get me killed."
"I also know how to have fun that makes you question your life choices," Revy also admits, a bit embarrassed about what she just did. "How much time do we have left?"
Pouncerala looks to the east. "Until dawn starts," she says. Which only gives them about an hour, and some of that needs to be used to get back to Mt. Sunala in secret.
Revy rubs her face and sighs. "Then we need to get going soon. It's a ways back, after all," she admits. "Sorry. Time went faster than I expected."
"Next time we can try the roller-coaster and other rides," Pouncerala suggests, and then gives Oscarl a kiss on the cheek, thanking him for a wonderful dance.
The Skreek puts his hands in his lap and blushes from the kiss.
Revy smiles, nods. "Maybe we'll find these two again next time too. Or get you a nose ring for real," she says as she stands and offers her hand to Pouncerala with a playful grin. "Come on, we'd best get walking. Time ever marches forward and all that."
It takes some time to get to the edge of the Plaza, and then on to the 'hidden' paths that Revy is familiar with. At least Pouncerala isn't easily tired out, even after all the dancing, for the climb up the mountain to where their Yodhsunala disguises are kept.
"So, are you really going to be a Lapi for me?" Pouncerala asks Revy.
"So, have fun?" Revy asks as they walk. "And I hope I haven't been too disappointing." Then the question registers. "Well, I can. What, stay one to snuggle while you sleep?"
"Yeah!" Pouncerala says, although it's primarily Pouncer that is asking, since Srinala doesn't really sleep. The High Priestess's apartment (which doubles as the Archives) isn't far, and nobody has stopped them yet.
"Well, once I get you back in your chambers, I can try changing there. I'll remain female of course, safest," Revy claims. She doesn't mention changing gender is a lot harder these days, and when she's horny, it's harder still.
Megrasastis lets them pass without a glance, and then it's through the wall and tunnels and squeezing past the plumbing into the bathroom. "Doesn't have to be female," Pouncerala finally admits. "So long as it's soft and fluffy."
"Yes, but males have urges," Revy points out. "And they can be hard to control."
And once back in the main chambers, Revy goes about undressing. Shifting while clothed can go very badly, after all, if proportions vary a lot. She sits herself down cross-legged on the floor and closes her eyes. "See you soon," she mutters as she disappears into shadow, ostensibly to find a safe lapi form in her catalog of body shapes to slip into.
Pouncerala returns to Pouncer's bedroom to get ready for sleep, since the cat's been awake through her normal sleep time (she doesn't stay awake while Sunala is in charge, generally).
Alptraum wonders if he can even go male right now. Revy was, ah, pretty wound up. So, it's just looking through the different lapi does to find a relatively normal lapi! And tries to shift herself into that doe, just with Alptraum's coloration. Plus, she likes having breasts, so she gets to keep 'em this way
She Buntraum opens her eyes, Poucerala is there, wearing a white nightgown. "That looked kinda weird," the girl(s) admits. "Is there anything that needs to be done to send Srinala back to her body, or will it just happen when Sunala leaves?"
"I will probably need to assist," Buntraum admits as she rises up. Boy, she feels curvy. And has quite the butt, and bust. Also, her twitching nose feels weird with that ring in it. "I'll go to her and help," she says as she goes to where Srinala will be 'resting' soon.
The chamber where Sunala holds court has guards in it, but they don't even blink at the strange Lapi that shows up wearing Yodhsunala robes. "Welcome back, Barsunala," Sunala says from the throne. Her voice is a lot more hollow sounding than Srinala's is.
"Hello," Buntraum says and bows. "I have returned to help Srinala return when it is time," she says as she rises. "I believe they both had a good time."
"Take her to the Sea, and all will happen as is natural," Sunala says.
Buntraum nods. This means of course going back to the chamber to join Pouncerala. "Well, you just need to relax and sit with me," she tells her as she sits on the edge of one of the beds. "It's time."
"Should I lie down?" Pouncerala asks.
"Probably not a bad idea. I'll lie down with you," Buntraum offers, then scoots herself further into the bed and holds her arms open.
Pouncerala blinks first, then lies in Buntraum's embrace.
And so Buntraum just snuggles up against Pouncerala, and closes her eyes. Trying then to drift to that sort of twilight place in-between, where she can find the spirits of both.
The two girls are there in the mists. "I liked having eyes," Srinala says. "And breasts."
"Ack!" Pouncer reacts.
And Buntraum just laughs at that. "Both can be nice. Breasts moreso than eyes, but hey," she says, then promptly pulls both into a hug.
"Well, time for me to go back to the tree for now," Srinala says. "For a short while anyway," she amends.
Buntraum take's Srinala's hand. "I'll escort you," she says. "And I'll see you in a bit, Pouncer. And your nice breasts," that last bit was added with a playful sort of grin.
"Not you too!" Pouncer wails, and is soon swallowed by the mist. It's not the typical Barsunala exorcism, since it's just a short walk until the mist gives way to the promontory overlooking the Sea of Souls.
"Couldn't resist, sorry," Buntraum tells Srinala. "I really do hope you had fun and don't think less of me."
"I can't think of less of you, you're my big brother," Srinala says, leaning against Buntraum as they walk to the dead tree. "It was.. I never really felt alive, you know. Like I wasn't supposed to be alive. Pouncer feels alive, and now I know what I'm supposed to be feeling."
"You're alive, just as she is. Just as I am," Buntraum notes as she nuzzles one of Srinala's ears. "We're all just a little bit different due to the circumstances of our birth. It's also made us a family."
"Yes, I just know that I shouldn't think I'm only half-alive now," Srinala says, and smiles. "Next time though, I want to try flying."
"You'll need a winged body for that," Buntraum points out. "Unless I gave Pouncer wings, but I'm wary of messing with her body too much. Color is simple, adding parts, not as much."
"And it might set off of a signal," Srinala says, sounding worried. "We have to be careful. Having me with her cancels it out, I think."
"That's my concern too. Close to either of us probably masks her. Outside of that, not so much. If we can end Amenlichli, she would be free of that worry," Buntraum says. "I hate that she was born just for the purpose of continuing that monster. It's just ... wrong. It doesn't make Pouncer wrong or a monster, though. She's just a victim too."
At the tree, Srinala lets go of Buntraum and jumps up to hang upside down, with her tattered wings hanging like a grass skirt. "Well, figure out how to kill a goddess then," Srinala says in all seriousness. "I have faith in you."
"Already have a weapon that could," Buntraum admits, "The problem is getting close to her." She leans in and kisses Srinala's forehead. "I'll see you again soon. And you can always reach out to me."
"You can always find me here.. well, some of the time anyway," Srinala says.
"I know. I'll try to visit more often," Buntraum promises.
Back in the physical world, Pouncer opens her eyes, and they're both the same amber-brown this time.
And Buntraum does as well. "Well, welcome back well-chested cat," she teases a little. "I think you both had a good time."
"We did," Pouncer purrs. "I can't wait to go out again!"
"We just have to be careful when you do," Buntraum says, "I have to keep an eye on both of you as much as possible. There are dangers, though I don't think the biggest ones could tell you were out."
"I can beat up an Eeee if I need to," Pouncer declares. "I'm stronger than I look."
"And Eeee aren't that strong. I'm a rarity in Babel with respect to that. I'm more worried about undead, or Vartans," Buntraum says.
"There aren't undead in Babel," Pouncer insists. "And.. why Vartans?"
"There are sometimes undead," Buntraum corrects. "Vartans are strong, and tend to have loose morals, and may be pirates."
"There are pirates in Babel?" Pouncer asks, actually pulling away a bit to look Buntraum in the eyes. "Vartan pirates?"
"Sometimes? I've caught a few. Why?" Buntraum has to ask.
"And they.. kidnap Savanites?" Pouncer asks, since that what she would appear as. "Or Khattas?"
"Depends on who is paying them, I suppose," Buntraum says. "The point is there are dangerous people in Babel too. Eeee may be weaker and easier to fend off, but not all are."
"And you aren't just trying to scare me?" Pouncer asks, watching Buntraum closely.
"No?" Buntraum answers, looking a bit confused. "Why would I be?"
"I don't know.. it just makes you sound like my dad a bit," Pouncer says, and flops back down onto the bed.
"Ever think your dad might not have been wrong?" Buntraum points out. "I just need to make sure you're safe, is all. You're important."
The girl sighs. "Important because of.. well, I don't want to go into it. I have my own reason for being important that has nothing to do with my lineage, and that's the one I go with."
"That's the one that matters. Srinala, you, and I have our own aspects due to our birth. But it is not all we are, either. The other reason you're important will be dealt with, somehow, so you only need ever think about the truly important one," Buntraum notes. "I just wish you had a better 'hero' than a weird shape-shifting bat who's probably insane. And likes having breasts."
"Everyone likes having breasts," Pouncer claims. "Boys like having them on girls, though, usually. If they had them they'd never leave the house," she giggles.
"Probably true," Buntraum has to admit. "I like being a girl, so, works out for me I guess."
"Do you play with them?" Pouncer asks.
"Sometimes? But it's more fun when others play with them," Buntraum says.
So, still giggling, Pouncer grabs Buntraum's breasts. "Wow, super-soft!" the girl notes as she squishes.
Now it's Buntraum's turn to ack! "You're just jealous they're bigger than yours!" she counters.
"Barely," Pouncer counters. "You're overall smaller than me, so they just seem bigger."
"I can make them bigger, too," Buntraum says and sticks out her tongue, then laughs. "Not like it really matters."
"Too big is painful," Pouncer counters. "And hard to find clothes for."
"That's very true," Buntraum admits. "My Revy form is borderline. Any larger and flying would get really uncomfortable."
"Can you even run in this form?" Pouncer asks. "Or do things flop around? I'm not a running cat, at least."
"If I have proper support I can run fine. That's the key, mainly. Proper supportive clothing," Buntraum explains. "Otherwise, things bounce too much."
"Ugh, like a corset?" she says, practically spitting out the final world.
"Ugh, no, those hurt. Just a good wrap to snug them down and minimize bouncing," Buntraum explains. "Nothing around the waist."
Pouncer clutches her own chest now. "So, could I look like a boy then, with the right clothing?"
"With the right clothing, yes. I will warn you wrapping your chest too tight hurts too," Buntraum notes. "Why do you want to be a boy?"
"Disguise!" Pouncer claims. "Against pirates and zombies."
"Well, I suppose that would work. You'd also have to pad your crotch," Buntraum notes. "I could make you male, but I really think that would be far too risky, unfortunately. Color changes, sure, anything more extensive, no."
"Clothes then," Pouncer says. "And stink. The stink sells it, I think."
"Oh come on, not all boys smell," Buntraum says, sighs.
"But they're more likely to smell," Pouncer claims, one finger raised in emphasis. "They smell different."
"Okay, that's true. I know I smell very different when I'm male or female of the same species," Buntraun concedes. Never mind some of that is because of Inala's hyper sexuality blessing.
"So I need to cover up smelling female," Pouncer says.
"Well, take a bath before going out. That helps a lot," Buntraum says. Also now curious, the Lapi shifts a bit, then sniffs Pouncer, well, close to her waist.
Pouncer doesn't smell like a Savanite. And Buntraum doesn't really know what female Khattas tend to smell like. Back as a teenager, Alptraum's sense of smell was not as strong as the ground-based predators. As a Lapi her sense of smell is a little better at least, but still only that of a herbivore.
"Well, I can say you don't smell like a Savanite," Buntraum says as she lies back down. "That's to your benefit, I think. No one would mistake you as a female Savanite, at least." She shrugs.
"But that's my main disguise," Pouncer points out. "So, should I gets some Savanite... perfume?"
"Well, I could provide that. I have have a female Savanite form," Buntraum says, shrugs. "But you don't want to smell too strong, and hopefully no one is trying to sniff you like that around here."
"You just did though!" Pouncers says, and bats her paws at Buntraum. "So, does this character have a name?" she asks. "I can't just call you.. uh.. Bunny."
"Yes, but I had a reason and I'm weird," Buntraum says as she tries to shield herself from being batted. "I don't have a specific name for this, no. Sorry. Open to suggestions."
"Fluffy!" Pouncer suggests.
That just makes Buntraum wince. "I'm not that fluffy, and I have a nosering," she points out. She ponders a moment, then suggests, "Penumbra."
"Ooo, that sounds dark and spooky," Pouncer says. "Does it mean something?"
"Sort of the light outline around a shadowy shape," Buntraum explains, shrugs. "Comes from old folktales from Sylvania."
"Basically, half-shadow," she adds.
"So fuzzy?" Pouncer asks.
"Kinda," Buntraum concedes.
Pouncer runs Penumbra's ears through her hands. "Soft though," she says, and rubs the ear against her cheek.
"I guess you approve of that name, then," Penumbra says with a lilt of amusement. She allows for the ear petting and caressing. "You don't find it weird my body is so, er, malleable?"
"My not-mother came back from the dead with extra arms," Pouncer claims. "So the shape of someone's body doesn't really matter to me."
"Well, I know it freaks some people out," Penumbra notes as she settles in and closes her eyes. "Glad you don't mind, at least."
Pouncer snuggles up to the soft Lapi. "Everything here is cold and course," she complains. "It's nice to have something soft and warm to sleep with for once."
"Srinala is soft to sleep with," Penumbra points out, softly, "But I understand. A comfortable bed makes a lot of stuff better."
"And now I have plush toys too," Pouncer says. "For pillows."
"You do! I doubt the Yodh would remove them," Penumbra agrees. "I'm sorry you don't have more friends here."
"The Yodh don't know what to make of me," Pouncer sighs. "I think they think I'm Sunala's pet."
"Probably best they keep thinking that," Penumbra admits. "Means they'll leave you alone."
"They leave Srinala alone too," Pouncer says. "It's just the two of us that pay any attention to one another, but at least she's separate now."
"Yes," Penumbra says with a yawn. "I'm glad you have each other. I'm alone most of the time."
"Really?" Pouncer says, and catches the yawn, which causes her to snuggle up tighter.
"Usually, or dealing with something unpleasant, or weird," Penumbra mutters as she gets sleepy and starts to drift some.
Pouncer purrs, and dozes off as well.
Penumbra pulls Pouncer in close and tries to spoon around her, even though she's smaller right now. Warm, comfortable, and quiet. A rare respite from things, and welcome.