The road to the city of Haven is long, and sees moderate travel as people go between cities on their business. However, it's getting late in the year, and cold, and little traffic is still making use of the road, especially with the near-panic caused by the 'invasion' a short while ago.
Brenda padpads down the edge of the road, heading towards the distant city skyline..
Not far down the road, another figure can be seen, also apparently walking towards the city.
Brenda sniffs the air lightly. Not picking up any major scents she increases her pace to get a better look at the figure down the road.
The figure seems to pause for a moment, as if hearing something.
Brenda stops in her tracks and flattens herself to the ground, not wanting to be noticed until she's had a chance to examine the figure..
The figure shrugs, and continues walking towards town slowly.
Brenda heads off the road a bit, into taller grasses. She bounds through the grasses to make up lost ground, then slows once the figure is within a clearer range.
Somewhere in the bounding through the grasses, the figure seems to have vanished. It's not anywhere in clear sight on the road, at least.
Brenda mreeps? and ut ohs! She screeches to a stop and sniffs upwind..
There's no unusual smell either.
There is, however, a lot of motion as a morphic cat-woman pops up out of the grasses almost right in front of you.
Brenda eeex! and *zzzZIPS!* between the legs of the cat-woman, pure instinct (fear) taking over, sending her on an irrational flight!
Jenora yeeps. "Hey!"
Brenda's ears catch a familiar voice and her head turns while her feet keep going. With a motion unbefitting of a feline, she trips over herself and tumbles end over end until stopping, slightly bewildered, jumbled, and curious...
Jenora runs after the lynx, trying to catch up with her and see if she's hurt.
Brenda blynx? up at the cat-woman and in a voice of amazed confusion she purrs, "Jenora?"
Jenora blinks right back. "Brenda??"
Brenda laughs! and *kerPOUNCEfluffityhuggles* Jenora! "What in the heck are _you_ doing here?! I thought I wasn't on Genesis anymore."
Jenora yeeps again, chuckling, and tickles down Brenda's sides. "You're not."
Jenora says, "This place seems to be enough of an improbability locus... it's picked up a lot of people from the exodus there."
Brenda ohs, and deflates a bit, "Then I guess I am thoroughly confused. One minute I was swimming along, the next I couldn't breathe underwater anymore and the last thing I remember was doing a teleport without a focus point. I've been here for quite awhile now."
Jenora sits up. "I see... well, when Distant left, most of the magic left with her. The various kings and queens were left with whatever power they'd come with, and little more."
Brenda ohdears...she _is_ out of the loop. She takes the news of Distant being gone in stride (after all, it is the simplest explanation) and nods in realization. No wonder she couldn't use her magic anymore, "So where ARE we then?"
Jenora says, "This place is called Nexus. It's a little world in a rather loose patch of space-time, which is why Copernicus and his techs moved their gateway into orbit here."
Brenda egads, "Copernicus is here too?! I saw you were headed to the city, is that where everybody is?"
Jenora says, "Copernicus is not only here, but there are a few hundred of his species up in orbit right now doing construction work. Copernicus managed to accidently transport the entire star system he was in to not all that far from here. Don't ask me how. They're working on a gate to do a more controlled jump back."
Brenda almost laughs...the _entire_ solar system? Heckuva accident, "Remind me not to transport with Copernicus unless absolutely necessary." };)
Brenda says, "So what are doing here? Helping Coper in his effort?"
Jenora chortles. "Anyhow, no, most of them aren't in the city; we've got an encampment sent out a ways away. There have been enough social problems with these people suddenly realizing that the spacers aren't myths without rubbing their noses in it. I can at least pass for a local; the felitaurs can't."
Jenora nods. "I showed up just looking for Copernicus... after finishing my own affairs in the Silvermists, I started checking up on various other refugees. When I saw what Copernicus was up to, I tagged along to help out."
Brenda nods in return, "So the locals are unfriendly to the idea of NOT being the center of their own universe, then?"
Jenora says, "Well... there are varying opinions, as there usually are. Some of them can't handle it; some of them don't mind. The city council is mostly of the 'don't mind' category, but aren't fond of the new brand of chaos that has happened here since we arrived."
Brenda says, "Well..since I seem to be without company, or home, would you mind my joining up with you?"
Jenora smiles. "Not at all! I'm just heading into town to pick up a few things, do a bit of trading."
Brenda says, "Is a talking lynx going to be out of place here? Maybe I should wait for you on your way back and accompany you to camp?"
Jenora hmmms. "They do have a general prejudice that four-legged animals are just that, animals... and assumed non-sentient. We've caused that notion to waver slightly, but it's still there. If you talk, you'll get some odd looks."
Brenda debates for a moment and decides to accompany Jenora to town. At the best, she'll learn a bit about the local inhabitants. At the worst, she'll..well..she doesn't really consider that, "Onward then...let's go to town! I'll try to keep quiet." }:)
Jenora grins. "Indeed. Off we go!"
Brenda heads down the road, padding along side Jenora, keeping quiet whenever passing natives.
There's not much left of the road; cresting the next small hill leaves the city of Haven almost completely in view. It's a decent-sized city, given the relatively low tech level of the local construction.
Brenda follows along, as if a pet. She myrrps? politely at the occasional passerby and continues doing what she's best at: looking ky00t.
Jenora chuckles a couple of times at particularly cute sounds, her obvious high spirits drawing a few looks from the rare passers-by.
Brenda reaches the main entrance to the city with Jenora, where she gazes curiously at the structures around her. She smells the air, appreciating the smells of the local cooking. With a purr she looks up at Jenora questioningly, as if to say, "Lead on."
Jenora nods back to Brenda, and heads over to one of the various vendor's stalls to get something to eat first. Most of which she shares with Brenda.
Brenda tries not to eat too greedily, but it's somewhat obvious that she hasn't had much to eat in the past few weeks.
Jenora grins as they finish the meal, and skritches Brenda's ears. "Feeling better?"
Brenda's tummy gurgles with satisfaction and she purrrs happily, "Much better thank you."
Brenda myrrps? and whoopsies..she peers around to see if anyone caught her slip.
A passing Havenite starts slightly, but figures it's just that Jenora throwing her voice again.
Jenora grins. "Good."
Brenda's golden fur turns a slightly darker shade around her cheeks for a moment. She just purrs up at Jenora ynnocently.
Jenora chuckles, and skritches up under Brenda's chin. "Let's go. I've got a few things to pick up here..."
Brenda padpads after Jenora curiously, waiting to see what more Haven has in store for her.
Jenora's first stop is at an old mess of a shop with a lot of odd gadgets and such, some of which look like they haven't seen use in centuries. She uses this to 'break' a sheet of metal she brought with her, buying a couple of the old gadgets and getting a small pouch of the local currency.
Brenda sniffs curiously at some of the old gadgets, getting some dust in her nose. *kerSNEEFT!* The sneeze knocks the small gadget off the shelf and onto the floor. She peers at the little thing, then up to Jenora.
Jenora whoopses, and picks the item up, looking it over.
The shopkeeper's daughter, a young doe, eeps as she watches the space ladies pet knock something on the floor. She rushes over to check for damage, not wanting her father to think she can't watch the place for a couple hours.
Jenora hands the item to the doe. "No damage that I can see. Looks like it did more damage to the floor than it took."
Darla looks nervously at Jenora, having heard the stories of what the spacers can do, she stammers, "Yes, but if you could please have your...friend here be more careful. I'm watching the shop for my father." She was about to say "pet", but it seems half the time, the pets are in charge.
Brenda mrrps up at Darla, trying to sound apologetic. She swishes her tail back and forth and winds between the young doe's feet, purring lightly.
Jenora says, "Don't worry, she will be." She pointedly looks down at Brenda.
Brenda's ears go back against her head a little and her whiskers droop, the picture of pitiful.
Darla nods, "I'm sorry. It's just, things have been so strange since those winged cats came here. Those battles, and all. It's rather strange. I'm Darla, by the way."
Darla can't help but scritch the kitty's ears a little, smiling.
Jenora smiles. "Jenora. Don't worry, I can understand strange."
Darla looks relieved that Brenda is quiet and chuckles, "Well, around you, people expect the furniture to start arguing with them. I guess we've been isolated for too long. What are you looking for here?"
Jenora says, "Well, just getting these two 'artifacts', mostly... and hoping to make some change." She sets down some of the memory metal they've used for some of their major purchases. "I wouldn't expect a food vendor to be able to break this."
Brenda, in the meantime, sniffs around the shop some more, being careful not to upset anything. She tries to figure out what some of the strange little objects are supposed to do.
Outside, a trio of Chirr'T'Thar trot past, laughing and playing and apparently enjoying life.
Darla nods, "It's rather new, but it works pretty well. I can give you some local currency for that." As she pulls out some silver rods and some coins, she notices the felitaurs and shakes her head, "They are so confusing" as he nods towards the disappearing trio.
Jenora laughs. "I've known them for a while longer than you have. They do get less confusing as you get to know them better, but some of that never quite leaves them."
Brenda pokes her nose out the door and peers after the felitaurs. She trots out into the street, keeping close to the doorway, and watches the reaction of the natives as the felitaurs walk by them.
The natives seem to be getting used to them, though a few note their joyful mood and shake their head, a few, who feel the battle for their world was the felitaur's fault, give them dirty looks.
Darla frowns, "I don't understand it. Nearly a hundred of them have died dealing with those wolfthings, and they still seem so happy?"
Jenora says, "They tend to have very much a 'present day' outlook on life. They don't let worrying about the past or the future drag them down much."
A couple of the native children do look like they'd love to play with them, but the parents aren't that sure of them yet. Too much change all at once.
Darla nods, "I talked to one once. Much too friendly for my father, but they truly seem open about it. I kind of envy them, they say that mourning is short because the dead wouldn't want them to be unhappy for long. Do you think they're right?"
Jenora says, "They're hardly the only culture I've run across in my travels to feel that way. I've seen a few that even celebrate death; they believe that their ancestors have gone on to a better place, and there's no reason to mourn that." She shakes her head. "I've seen far too many things to know what to think anymore."
One of the felitaurs notices Brenda, and pads over and waves, purring, "Hello. You look a bit like one of my sisters cubs." You can't tell if he expects an answer or not.
Darla nods, "Well, here is your change. They seem ok, though my dad is nervous whenever they're around me."
Jenora nods, taking the change. "Thanks, I've got a few other places to get to today." She looks back outside. "They're okay, yes. They're honest, and open... too open for some people's comfort. They're unlikely to lie to you, or deliberately cause trouble... though some of them do have quite a knack for being around when trouble comes."
Despite a few frowns and a few people who feel the 'taurs are the reason things have become so unpredictable, you get the feeling that most of the town is waiting to pass judgment, almost as if they don't believe the felitaurs are as honest and friendly as they appear.
Brenda shakes her head 'no' back and forth a little..not really an odd movement, then winks at the felitaur.
Darla chuckles and nods, "My father says I was that way when I was young. Maybe they've found a way so that they don't have to really grow up. If so, I really envy them. Take care Jenora."
Jenora chuckles, and waves back. "You too. Trust me, growing up is very much a state of mind."
The other two tease the male taur, "C'mon, she's awfully small to be able to talk" The male grins at Brenda's wink and scritches her ears, he calls back, "Hey, I met a talking mouse once, anything is possible. Right cutey?"
Jenora pads out of the shop, and stops beside Brenda.
Jenora waves to the felitaurs.
Brenda looks around to make sure nobody nearby other than Jenora is listening, "Absolutely." She winks at the felitaur again, but this time with a slight 'gryn, then pads off following Jenora.
The young male chuckles and waves, then bounds off with his two friends, tails curling around each other as they head off the way Jenora and Brenda came, most likely to hunt, or enjoy some time together.
Jenora grins to Brenda. "Let's go." She pads back through the main market area, buying a few small things, and a fairly large amount of local foodstuffs. Once she's finished, and close enough to the edge of town that nobody's likely to see her, she turns to Brenda again: "Well, I'm heading back to the camp right now. Want to keep tagging along for now?"
Brenda says, "That would be great, Jenora. Right now you and Copernicus are the only two I know on this planet. And I still don't know enough about it to not get myself in trouble. Anyways, I don't thynk the company could get any better."
Jenora says, "Well, there a couple of others you might run into... Zilvar just showed up a few days ago. Kainudy should be around here somewhere, but we're not sure where she's gone since the last test run of the gate."
Brenda laughs a little, "Zilvar and Kainudy are here too? I thynk the way things are turning out, I may just feel at home here after all."
Jenora grins. "Could do."
As the day winds down, Jenora and Brenda approach camp. An air of happy expectation settle over Brenda as she looks forward to the days to come, meeting old friends, and renewing the bonds from a lost world.