Visiting a Friend
Kazu goes cat-mode to see Loira, but finds someone else instead.
Kazu'ran had learned much during his time in Carden. One: the sleepy festive town had much more going on in its forests than he ever might have thought. Two: bunnies could sometimes be scary - and he still loved them. Three, and this was less new knowledge than confirmation of what he had already known: his best buddy Severin Dolle had fuzzy feelings for one Loira Winford. Dolle had vanished almost immediately after they'd all left the forest, much to Kazu’ran’s disappointment. It wasn't, exactly, unexpected but he'd hoped for a few more days of hanging out with his friend before adventure took them their separate ways again.
Kazu’ran remained in Carden for a few days afterwards. There were still festivities to enjoy, and he liked the company of the - mostly - familiar group he’d found himself with. When he said goodbye to the isolated mountain town it was with his bags, and arms, loaded up with plenty of gifts for friends and family alike. He’d returned home first and while there, an idea came into his mind. A devious idea. A wonderful idea.
He was going to go visit Loira.
Months had passed since he'd seen her last. And when he had seen her, he had been a cat. She'd been... nicer? Definitely less cold but then, cats didn't expect things the way people did. Sure they wanted attention, food, and cuddles sometimes but they were also fiercely independent and content to take care of themselves. They didn't make demands or have expectations. And Kazu'ran? Well, he was happy to be able to help bring a little bit of peace to her day. Companionship. Rather like Carden's... protector... and her rabbits. But with less ritual sacrifice.
Kazu'ran frowned, adjusting his bag as he walked through Silverpine’s dense forest. At least he hoped with less ritual sacrifice. The thought made him sweat a little bit.
As he came upon the border of the Respite, the Troll tucked himself behind a tree before contracting down into a smaller, more compact shape. Trotting forward, the cat slowly blinked his orange eyes, tail wagging, before orienting himself towards the farmhouse. Kazu’ran didn’t even know if Loira was there, but with her Sepulcher office having closed after August’s Cultural Faire, he didn't know where else to go about looking for her.
Reaching the door, Kazu’ran looked up at it and frowned. Closed doors were beyond his capabilities as a cat but windows… windows were not, and a quick glance around gave him his new target. A quick hop up onto the picnic table by the entrance and one semi-precarious leap onto a window ledge later, Kazu’ran was slipping into the warm interior of Fence Macabre’s headquarters.
It was nice, he thought, very different from Loira’s office - warm where the former was cold in both temperature and decor. He’d entered a washroom, complete with shelves full of soaps, body washes, hair products, perfumes and a half dozen fluffy towels. He recognized some of the product names from various markets. That there was another full shelf filled with dental products came as a bit more of a surprise - he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen such dedication to oral care but then, Kazu’ran reasoned, Undead had to take greater care than most.
Curiosity satisfied he wove his way out of the washroom and into the front hall. Wood panelling continued into the house proper, and the walls were decorated with a mix of portraits and hunting trophies. Head swivelling to and fro, he looked over the space with interest as he trotted towards the living room. Last time he’d been here, Loira had found him outside the Respite’s door and, assuming he belonged to someone in the caravan, allowed him into the farmhouse.
Seeing her on her own had been strange. Not that he hadn’t seen her individually, before, but with Loira thinking him a cat, Kazu’ran had been able to see a different side of her - quieter, calmer. That she was as dedicated to her work in private as she was publicly had come as no surprise, but the sheer volume of scrolls, manuscripts and tomes Loira had opened up on the table before her had been staggering.
He’d been curious, thinking maybe it was potion work of some kind but instead he’d been met with… inventory. From what he’d gathered, Loira had been calculating how many of various supplies she was going to need to ensure an eight-month stock of her most popular wares. It had come as a bit of a surprise. Kazu’ran had always assumed that she made her potions in small batches but with the number of markets she attended, and from what he’d seen at the Sepulcher… it made sense that she kept a large inventory in reserve.
He’d meant to find a way to inquire about the preservation used in either her brews, or the magic used on the bottles themselves to allow them to stay fresh and effective for so long a time. Kazu’ran hadn’t figured out a way to ask yet - Loira was notoriously difficult to enter into casual conversation with, but he also hadn’t seen her since.
His tail twitched as he entered the living room proper. His last visit had been six months ago. Loira, he knew, didn’t do things for the fun of them. He was pretty sure he’d become a trollcicle for suggesting she did. That she’d been preparing an eight-month supply… Kazu’ran’s ears drooped as he padded onto the soft, worn carpet by the fireplace. A large table had been dragged over it, bordered by three couches with mismatched pillows and blankets.
Suddenly, it didn’t feel likely that he’d see her here. It didn’t feel likely that he’d see her for another two months. The thought made him sad. He missed Loira. He missed her, and was reasonably certain she didn’t miss him. He missed her, and he missed Dolle. Dolle, at least, Kazu’ran had seen recently in Carden, but it wasn’t… it wasn’t the same.
He knew Dolle had gone to the Shadowlands - he’d said he had business in Revendreth, but what he’d done there, where he’d gone after leaving Carden, Kazu’ran had no idea. The Troll hadn’t seen or heard from him since. And Loira… Well, he had no idea where she was. The Shadowlands, Kazu’ran assumed, but he did not know.
He wished they could go back. Go back to August, to the Tournament of Ages. He’d seen so much of them both that week, and while it hadn’t been without complications Kazu’ran had returned home feeling good. It had been a good week, fun, filled with seeing people he cared about.
“Oh, a cat! Hello kitty!” A bright, warm and bubbly voice interrupted Kazu’ran thoughts. Before he had time to think, hands were wrapping around his sides to lift and twist. He blinked and found himself staring at the face of a young woman with orange eyes. Kazu’ran had no idea who she was but then Vagrant's Respite was a proper village and he only knew those members of Fence he had seen at markets or festivals.
“Name’s Éabha, and you are?” She waited a moment, clearly expecting an answer. Orange eyes blinking slowly, Kazu’ran let out a meow in response. Éabha’s face broke into a wide, delighted grin.
“Well, that’s exactly what I thought! Your name’s Cat. Hello, good to meet you - I love your markings. This bone pattern? Wow, very cool. I think if I was going to have a cat, I’d want it to look like you, you know? But maybe in a darker colour?” Continuing her ramble, Éabha took a seat on the couch, keeping Kazu’ran in one arm as she pulled a blanket out and haphazardly patted it down.
“Not that blue isn’t nice, Cat! It suits you very nicely with your orange eyes - we match! I’m just out at night a lot and I don’t think blue blends in that well!” Kazu’ran blinked again as she sat him down on the blanket, absently petting his head.
“Winn would just love you, y’know. Wait ‘til I tell her I saw a blue cat with skeleton markings! That’s just the coolest thing. You are very neat.” Kazu’ran stared up at her, purring as her eyes and nose crinkled with her smile and she reached a finger forward to give him a light tap between the eyes, “oh yes you are!”
Kazu’ran watched as Éabha let out a long sigh, leaning back into the couch as she lifted her feet to rest on the table.
“Did you know spring is almost here?” Éabha’s head tilted down as she looked at him, fingers interlocking as she rested them on her stomach.
“Do cats keep track of seasons? Do you know when they’re changing and that it happens every year? Hm….” She trailed a moment before her brows shot up, “oh! Bey would know, I think! Can she talk to animals? I know she can make herself an animal so I think she could talk to them. She’s a druid, you know. Lots of flowers. Lots of bees by her place!”
Kazu’ran had no idea who she was talking about. Her logic seemed… reasonable, but the Troll also knew that he could turn into a cat without being able to speak with and understand other animals. It didn’t seem like a great time to mention it though.
“What was I saying? Oh - Spring! Yeah, there’s something called Deathday coming up. It’s like… a celebration? A gathering the caravan puts on every year. It sounds really different to Nightmare Before Winter’s Veil! That was really cool. I think you would have liked it; you’re already dressed for it!” Éabha’s fingers tapped against the markings on Kazu’ran’s back.
“People share stories, and food, and there’s a candle lighting ceremony…. I’m not one for story sharing myself, but I think it sounds really nice. I’ll see you there, right Cat?”
Kazu’ran’s eyes flicked forward, and he blinked up at Éabha before letting out an affirmative meow. He went to all of Fence’s events, though he didn’t go to those as a cat. He watched as Éabha smiled and gave a short nod.
“Good, that’s good. It’ll be fun. Say, I came in here to grab a quick nap before we head out tonight - does that sound good? You can keep the blanket; I’ll just grab another one.” As she spoke, Éabha was already twisting herself around to grab one of the blankets hung off the back of the couch. With very little ceremony, she tossed it out in front of her, covering her legs before settling deeper into the couch cushions. Her hand remained on Kazu’ran, shifting to his side to lightly hold him there.
“It’ll just be a short nap, just a nice, short little…”
Kazu’ran ears twitched as she trailed off and, after another minute he tilted his head up to look at her. Éabha looked to be fast asleep. Her head was resting against the back of the couch, eyes closed with her mouth slightly open, her breathing even and steady. Kazu’ran blinked. It had taken her no time at all to fall asleep, and he thought that was rather an impressive skill.
Purring gently, the Troll looked around the cosy room once again. Kazu’ran certainly hadn’t seen the person he’d come here to find but… being curled up next to someone while getting pet and lying on a soft blanket wasn’t a bad alternative. That Éabha seemed genuinely nice was a definite bonus.
Maybe Loira wasn’t around. Maybe he hadn’t seen Dolle properly in months. But maybe, just maybe, he could make some new friends while they were gone.
With a particularly loud and contended rumble of a purr, Kazu’ran shifted to get more comfortable on the blanket. With a swish, he moved his tail over his nose and closed his eyes. Just a short nap, Éabha said. He could go for that. And when they woke up, he would start the journey back home.