The Cat's Meow [Open]

Prospect Posts : 12 Join date : 2014-05-24

On an early Sunday morning, the sun was lively, and woke the lives of many with its blinding rays, especially to the life of a single, golden tiger. The tigress's magnificent demeanor seemed to attract the light, shining upon her limbs and muscles - twinkling in the life of her iridescent spheres that made up her very eyes. She stretched her limbs and stood at the mouth of her isolated mountain-side cave, which was granted as a present for her birthday from her parents, the becoming of a shifter welcome gift, she assumed. It stood only several rocky steps from the timberland's edge, close to the clearing and not far from where she could see the opening to her parent's cave at the end of the terrain. Shaking out her gloried pelt, the thorn debris and dust that had clung to her coat flew away, collecting in a dirtied cloud that floated near her presence. As she so much as wished for the particles to flee from her home, it could not be helped no matter how hard she tried desperately to shoo them off with a flick of her large paw. Ears averted, she turned her massive, carefully stripped head and looked upon the horizon, peering to the orb that peeked over the earth's edge and rose from the surface. She squinted, allowing the time to shrivel up for her sights to adjust and level with the sudden amounts of rising light. It was a beautiful experience to watch the sunrise, as well as set when the day was through and tired. It was indescribable almost at how it settled into her mind. None of the shifters seemed to be awake at times like this, which were the only hours she had of silence before duties were to be done. Beauty only lasted for so long, she reminded herself of.

Once the giant star was in the air, she turned - thundering down deeper into her beloved haven and shifting half-way into step. The fur which used to encase her was now in the past, leaving the skin of a mortal - a disguise to mask what lie peacefully underneath so that they could be untouched, undiscovered. Her hair ran in long, honey drenched strands down her back, swaying too and fro with however it felt against her walk. She pulled on what she could, an outfit of little importance and greater comfort, fitting best to the climates and the accents of her figure, all the while granting her the freedom to be beautiful, but simultaneously honest and innocent. Shailene fixed her hair into a neat bun atop her apple-shaped head, placing some strands away from the rest to frame her face against her high, soft cheekbones. Her skin was a dusted pink, and she applied no make-up besides a light glossing to her heart-formed mouth, making them shine slightly more than average. Lightly, she smoothed her hand down her front and made sure to grab her needed accessories and notebook before heading out, her form once more temporarily taking the body of a golden tiger as she dashed off into the timber. The plants and life which covered the ground brushed against her thickened pelt, granting her a nice breeze to wrap around her figure as she sprinted on passed.

When reaching the end of the wild regions, the land formed into something much less rigid and complex, no longer were her ears filled with the lovely chirping of baby birds, but the sound of civilians walking along the streets of the city quarter. She stayed safely behind the trees and tall bushes to hide her form, pressing her haunches against the bark of a taller structured tree until easing away the seconds of when her human shoulders grazed along it's rough surface. A low sigh drew from her vulnerable lips, her eyes closed slightly before she knew the coast was clear and she was able to walk out without being dramatically noticed of her sudden appearance. The news of someone seeing a young woman walk straight from the shadows and into common civilization was uncanny, almost unable to be convinced of, but she has seen and heard stranger before, surely it would be no different. The indifferent tigress strolled and hopped delicately upon real cement, turning her head left and right to see if anyone was following and pointing her nose slowly in the way she was headed. Her hands stayed comfortably at her curved sides, eventually tucking into the fabric that made up the pocket of her long skirt and raising her chin like her mother would in the case to blend in, but not completely looking helpless to the mortal eye.

And then suddenly, Shailene stopped in her tracks as a wonderful scent captured her nostril's attention. It was bitter, yet sweet the more she registered it. "Mm..," She cooed through closed lips, shutting her eyes as her face looked into the direction of the wondrous smell. A low rumble in the back of her throat compelled her to go after this strange, manipulative odor. Feet moving forwards, she followed it into a cute looking building, the smell only growing stronger as she opened the glass door and stepped quietly inside. The bell that rang over her head made her jump slightly, awkwardly placing her hands out of her pockets and peering to the woman behind a counter that had caught her feared reaction. The female stifled a kind laugh and welcomed her inside, seducing her to come closer with a set of inching fingers. So she did, helplessly feeling her mind drown as she looked over the bags she could sense from a mile away with her trusted feline sense of smell. Pursing her lips, she looked at the employee and pointed to a selection upon the menu with a dainty, extended finger. "Tall Caramel Frappuccino with extra whipped cream, please." She had never tried this type of drink before, but the image looked convincing, and trying new things was a good thing, she believed. When the woman gave it to her, she took a small sip and instantly found herself in love with the flavor that chilled her insides and melted upon her tongue and throat. Shailene held the cup close to her and slowly moved to an area isolated from the rest, nearing the window so she could see the people that walked passed. Taking out her notebook, she set the cup down for a small minute and began scribbling inside a picture of a pigeon that had settled on the sidewalk next to the store's window.

Guest

“Tall Vanilla Bean Frappuccino, please and thank you!” The red-haired lady leaned her arms on the counter, an enthusiastic smile pulling at each corner of her pale pink lips. The woman handed her the drink she had asked for, raising her eyebrows at Celeste, undoubtedly wondering what was behind such a sunny mood. There was nothing particular behind it, however. She was naturally fair tempered; always looking at the brighter side of things, and never forgetting her manners. Her smile widened, if that was even possible, as she accepted the delicious drink that was offered to her in the woman's outstretched hand. She tipped her head in a final, silent semblance of her gratitude before turning on her heels, scanning the small crowd and the empty tables for someplace where she could sit.

None of the faces were recognizable - but then again, she had yet to meet anyone other than Jagara. The Shifter had only recently been accepted back into her kind once again; she had spent such a long time living amongst the humans. Enough that it almost felt strange to know that she was so close to others that were just like her. It was interesting that all of them had different forms. Up until just a few days ago, she had never seen a Shifter that was anything other than a komodo dragon. Jagara had been the first Shifter she’d ever met that was something else - a snow leopard, to be exact - and she found herself practically bursting with excitement, wanting nothing more than to meet the rest of those that also served the Rex and Regina and see what kind of true forms they all had up their sleeves.

A cute, harmless girl sat isolated in one of the farthest corners of the shop, leaning over a notebook and occasionally taking individual sips of her drink. Celeste narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the girl from afar, before deciding that she’d make for an excellent source of company. With a skip in her step and a jolly expression inscribed in the details of her face, she approached the girl and pulled out a chair directly across from her. “Hello there,” Sitting down, Celeste practically inhaled a big gulp of her Frappuccino, tucking strands of her uniquely pigmented hair behind her right ear. “What are you drawing? A pigeon?” She leaned forward just a touch, examining the drawing with thoughtful eyes before offering a soft smile. Glancing out the window, she was able to spot the source of the girl’s inspiration, and it was made clear straight away that she had a natural gift - or, at least, she thought so. There was little that Celeste would be able to compare it to. “It’s wonderful! I wish that I could draw, though it seems I’m as talentless as a rock when it comes to things like that.”

A sparkle filled her grayish blue eyes, making a peculiar mmm sound with her lips as she tried to quickly swallow another sip of her drink. “I’m Celeste, by the way. Hope you don’t mind my sitting here? You looked pretty lonely in the corner over here, and I thought it’d be nice to have some company!” It’d be apparent from likely plenty miles away - or at least across the shop - that Celeste was one of the bubbliest, friendliest people you’d ever come across. She wasn’t shy when it came to making small talk with complete strangers; she considered everybody approachable. Sometimes, others weren’t so fond of her bright and shiny personality. But this girl seemed nothing short of innocent; it didn’t seem like she’d even hurt a fly. That welcoming, warm grin never faded from the lady’s mouth as she patiently sipped at her delightful drink, eyes switching between the young girl and the drawing.

Prospect Posts : 12 Join date : 2014-05-24

Just when she was beginning to adapt to the quieted atmosphere, a lively figure sprang into the opposing seat, however she only took in a mere glimpse of the individual before finishing the few feathers that made up the pigeon's tail. Her eyes glanced up in almost surprise once she was finished, bouncing once in her seat so her lower back pushed further into her chair, "Oh.. why yes it is, actually! I didn't know it was that recognizable with all the eraser shavings surrounding it." She politely said as Shailene looked down at the drawing, only to criticize her own abilities and point out the worst ends. Beneath the table, she scooted over so the woman would have room for her lengthy, thin legs as well as her own to share. A small smile appeared across her face as the delicate creature noticed her sort of gift, but she only merrily shrugged and laughed it off, "It's not that big of deal - my mom can do so much more.. I'm only starting." The Shifter looked over to her with slight suspicion for her smell, unable to distinguish the other's trace of species, but also unable to ask, either. She smelled similar to the timber which made their clearing - therefore, she concluded there must be a tying between both the individual and location.

While fighting the temptation to ask, she purposely distracted herself by signing her name at the bottom of the sketch and lifting the cup within her soft hands for another drink. The bubbly one across form her was a sorts of things mixed together, which she found a perfect match with her personality, as well as in a place such as this. The human tigress held out one of her spare hands while the other held her now-treasured beverage, awaiting the common, humanly gesture to be returned, "I'm Shailene, if I had of known I'd be having company, I would've made better room or find a table fit for more than just one. In addition to that, you have a beautiful name - Celeste, though I'm sure you get that quite often with such a welcoming face." She grinned before placing her cup down, tucking away her other hand once she had taken it to put down neatly over her folded lap. Peeking outside, she saw that the pigeon had apparently flown away when they weren't paying attention. Fortunately, she was able to get the outline of the bird to the least while it was still around, "Sometimes being lonely isn't all that bad.. but the generosity was kind of you." The woman reminded, returning calm expression while her thumbs stroked the side of her cup as she thought of something else to say.

Still, the idea of asking bit at her spine and crawled along each connected bone like a spider would while carefully spinning it's web. With a small swallow of air, Shailene sighed inwardly and allowed the confidence to simmer a bit before bothering to part her lips. Glancing to the radiant and strangely divergent character, she lifted her head and neatly placed the end of her palm under her chin for slight support, her fingers roaming underneath the veil of her honey colored waves in silent strokes, "Alright, I'll bite first." She said, interrupting the gap of silence that had sealed her mouth. Celeste smelt of something earthy, a textured plant she formed the image of being moss, or perhaps dried leaves or possibly mud beneath her nails or somewhere embedded in her naturally glowing skin. All in all, she had no idea what she could be normally beneath this disguise, and she wasn't so sure about Celeste knowing of her either while being surrounded by so much coffee to block them, "Where are you from, Celeste? I don't think I've ever seen you around here recently." Her tone was quiet, a soft whisper replaced with her usual volume that would easily give away such a suspicious conversation amongst them. There were still humans - mortals to walk amongst their lands, but none except for her, the ginger-haired girl, that caught her attention.

Guest

It was exciting that this girl, Shailene so she called herself, was open to Celeste’s overly friendly and welcoming persona. For most, it took at least a few minutes to adjust to her uniqueness, but Shailene seemed perfectly content, if not willing to be equally bubbly in return. Noticing as the other girl raised her hand, Celeste happily took it in her own and gave it a soft shake. “I’m really glad you like it; but let’s not deny your name its equally deserving amounts of beauty. Actually, I find my last name more deserving of such recognition if I’m to be honest with you: Beausoleil. It means beautiful sun.” She had always adored her last name. When she had been younger, she derived small amounts of joy muttering it under her breath, liking the simple way it rolled off her tongue.

A few heartbeats of silence passed between them, but it was not awkward in the least for Celeste. She took advantage of the time given to take another gulp of her Frappuccino, enjoying the coldness of it slipping down her throat - she would definitely be coming here often. Shailene’s next question caught her off guard - even though, she supposed shortly afterward, that it was a common means of starting casual conversation. Regardless, she raised her eyebrows, eyelashes fluttering as she attempted to quickly swallow the current sip that was in her mouth. It seemed like a natural thing, among these particular parts, to request insight into one’s past. Celeste was not burdened by where she came from; frankly, she loved Indonesia and never failed to speak highly of it when she got the chance. It simply seemed coincidental: Jagara had been curious, too, when Celeste had been accepted into their kind. Even still, she offered the warmest smile that she could muster - she didn’t want Shailene to feel as though she was prodding into uncomfortable memories. Although Celeste tried her best to push reminiscences of her parents and her sibling into the farthest regions of her mind, it seemed as though she couldn’t keep them from finding new ways to crawl back to the surface. “You haven’t seen me recently because I’m incredibly new; Jagara only accepted me, what, maybe two days ago?” Celeste chuckled, and it was one of her bright and lively laughs. No, she hadn’t been here for very long, but she could already feel herself growing attached to the places and the people. “But originally I’m from Indonesia. I spent most of my childhood there, growing up and learning how to properly . . . you know -” She looked over both of her shoulders, like the two of them were about to share this great secret before leaning her arms over the table. “- Change between forms. I didn’t stick around too long though. What I needed, sadly, wasn’t in Indonesia, but I hope it might be here.”

“Anyway, I assume you’re curious about what lies beneath this face?” She mirrored Shailene’s position, resting her chin in the palm of her pale hand and fluttering her eyelashes like butterfly wings; the picture of innocence. “I’m otherwise a komodo dragon, though I do prefer inhabiting my human form. It’s kind of fun blending in with the mortals.” She shrugged. Sometimes she neglected to remember just how incredible it was to have a venomous reptile lurking beneath her skin; she had been doing it for so long, it was only right for it to feel natural. “What about you? Care to shed some light on your story?” Being new, Celeste had yet to know of Shailene’s origins. After all, how could she know that she was the daughter of her new monarchy? There was a bright curiousity glimmering in the human-reptile’s eyes, portraying clearly just how oblivious she was to her roots.

Prospect Posts : 12 Join date : 2014-05-24

At the mentioning of her parent's right-hand, her eyes slowly shot up from the rim of her drink. It was apparent that her thoughts were confirmed, but the sudden conversation of it all was quite surprising to her. It was as if her mind was read at first sight. Shailene dusted it off and simply put on a smile to hide her surprise, a bit of playfulness ringing into her tone, "Interesting character isn't she?" When more was shared, the young Shifter leaned closer in her seat, pivoting her elbow that supported her chin against her palm so that she could move without allowing her face to fall onto the small round table. This had been the first of few for her to interact with since the wonderful evolving of her body becoming man. So she was attentive, noting all to what the Shifter before her had to share and grinning after each sentence to ensure that she was listening. She noticed that Celeste had a beautiful laugh, and it tended to make her eyes sparkle, no matter how gloomish in color they were, as they were an foggy blue, as one would guess.

Shailene nodded slightly before she answered her own question, wishfully explaining the topic of what creature she was under the delicate display she saw now. It made her wonder where it all went when they shifted, if it actually did sprawl inside out and tuck into their bodies, or perhaps magic had it's own way of explaining the process when it would vanish and return into a different body. Her brows raised at the answering of a komodo, this of which lighting the pigment of her palish skin to a prime. "That's amazing. I've never met a Komodo before, the only reptilian others around where the pack resides is Calise. She's our Dux, and she's probably the most mysterious of us all. If you knew her other form as well as your own.. you bests be keeping your distances apart from one another-," A giggle managed to crawl form the depths of her throat, the sides of her face crinkling into a large smile when doing so. "-she's a Diamondback Rattlesnake, if you were wishing to know. Since you haven't been here long, I presume you have not met much around our territories.. Just a suggestion, if you love this place, you'll enjoy the book store on the corner." Her finger extended out towards the window, where a small, convenient looking building with a dark green awning above a dark red door stood at the corner of the street's end. Small pots of white peonies were set against the window-shelves outside, and on the sign above, wrote 'Tigress Town,' which was the name of the book-store, ironically, "That's - where my mother works." She added, flicking her gaze back to Celeste along with a turn of her body.

A laugh - not bitter, nor sweet came out of her. The irony was almost displeasing as she looked to the mere Shifter across from her. She put her hands down and cradled them back around her cardboard coffee cup, lightly showing a forced smile, for it was almost hard to speak about it without others of their clan getting fidgety. "I'm actually a tigress... - the first born of our superiors, actually." She laughed once again, nervously as she used one of her hands to sweep away a few loose strands from her forehead back beneath the soft, knitted beanie she wore atop her honey-colored mess of hair. "I don't exactly look like them in that form, though.. I'm a cross between a Siberian and Bengal tiger, but rarely enough, my genes are recessive and they've made me into a Golden tigress. So.. instead of just orange and black stripes, I'm more like a yellow-orange with white stripes.." Her eyes narrowed as she looked at her cup, her expression a bit confusing and puzzled with her own words, "-or maybe it's the other way around.." Now this time, she was really laughing. The rise and fall of her chest hopping with each one formed out of her mouth. If only she laughed like this more often.

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