Catnip's an Herb, Right? {Rainee, Open to 1 more}

Rainee was visibly getting angrier as something burned in her mind. Nevin couldn't tell what it was - he was not a mind reader, just a blood mage and alchemist - but he could see that the fur across her body was standing on end, spiking up with rage. As she took a drink of the juice - a good idea on his part to push it to her - she relaxed slightly, but her tail was still lashing back and forth until Mylie suddenly piped up, begging for a cookie sleepily. The alchemist blinked twice at the small child as her mother cuddled against her, then watched as the adult feline female calmed back down. She took a deep breath and sighed before looking back to him and speaking. Nevin listened, tilting his head to one side - he caught the glance she shot at his alcohol and wordless poured some into her glass, mixing it with the remaining juice - until she finished speaking.

He had not.... expected several things here, and his shoulders sagged as he took a deep breath. He had not anticipated her accepting his magic without even blinking an eye, had not thought she would spill some of her story to him, including being abandoned by her husband. He took a long swallow of his glass of alcohol and sighed, firming his shoulders up ramrod straight as he looked at her. A heartbeat passed, and he shook his head to himself. "A man who'd abandon you carelessly is not worthy of the description 'man'. Now then." He poured more alcohol and drained it. "I was born in Salvar. You know of their views on magic, I take it?" It was hard for people not to, with the virulent violence that the country responded to magic with. "I realized early on that I could not abide by that - I was too fascinated with alchemy, and wanted to become more than just a glorified alchemist. So, I took to wandering, and eventually slipped over the border. I came upon the cult - they had actually become a village. There was a boy there, a boy who was born after his 'parents' performed a ritual. He was the first infant to survive. They performed more and more rituals as he grew up, until I stumbled upon them. Of course, I didn't know they were a cult, and fell into their trap. The boy and I both were used in a ritual, that combined us into one person. It was a later ritual that I sabotaged, using memories from the boy. He gave a mirthless smile to her, then flicked his eyes down to Mylie, and the dark orbs softened.

"Take heart in that you have something good that came of the events, at the least. I have my magic, which I have to hide. But yes - inner strength, and we both have risen beyond our pasts. The masks we show the world are strong, strong enough to hide the cracks and pains we bear. But that is the point of a persona, no?" He grinnned, the smile lacking joy and he rolled his shoulders. Then his smile turned a bit soft as he looked at Mylie. "And there was no way I would throw you two out. You started as customers, and have at the very least heard what happened to me and accepted it. Throwing you out before this would have robbed us of someone who we could share a drink with, right?"

Rainee gave Nevin a half-smile, her eyes warming a bit as she purrs "Thanks for the sentiment Nevin. Men should stand up and stand by the woman they choose to be with. Not..." her orbs grew distant for a second as she remembered the path Kedx had chosen. Her tail twitched in irritation as she finished her sentence "abandon his family for power and glory. He wanted magic similar to what it sounds like your cult uses. Power at sacrifice, cost, no matter what it is!" meowing as she finished her quick explanation. Her hand automatically reached for the bottle of alcohol that was on the table, grasping the coolness firmly, she poured her glass full. Taking a swig, she felt the bitter grain rush down through throat. Welcoming the heady warmth as the liquid flowed down her throat into her stomach.

Looking up at Nevin, she once more traced the rim of her glass, staring at the clear liquid now swirling slowly in it. Raising it she exclaimed softly "To living through hardship!" she then took another hearty swig, the glass now only half full, as their was a notable tone to her voice now as she murmurs "I can't believe that your cult would go through such lengths to form a construct...a construct that they thought would bow to their will, but! You turned out to be a strong being, opposed to their views and beliefs!" her daughter stirred slightly against her chest, almost as if something fun was happening in her dream, as little mewps and cute meows could be heard from the little one, her own little tail twitching almost as if she was chasing a ball of yarn now in her dream.

The cat-mother giggled softly, momentarily distracted by her daughter's adorable nature. Nuzzling her warmly and lovingly, Rainee finished her voice growing softly as her next little treat was beginning to take affect in her system. "Your a strong man Nevin, I can understand why you'd want to follow your own path. I feel that strength is what caused you to go against the cult Nevin, and disrupt what they hoped would be a successful ritual!" she then turned slightly in her chair to get more comfortable her voice softening even more as she murmurs "What are you plans though? How are you going to succeed against the cult? I'm guessing your gift of blood magic came from the ritual the cult performed upon you and the boy?" her tail moved slightly in curiosity after she asked this question. She knew she was prying letting the drink and her trip into fun, causing her to ask these questions.

I'll blame this little trip for potions on finding catnip. This was supposed to be a normal shopping trip! But instead I'm seated in the shop-keep's lovely little home. Asking him obviously private questions, I should be reserved, but now I just want to know! I thank god though that he didn't throw me out for imposing on him! Nevin really is quite the patient man! She couldn't help but smile at him as she finished up her round of questions politely saying "Also after all this, I still want to purchase my potions from you Nevin and pay for any damages me or my daughter might have caused..."

Nevin capped the alcohol off and slid it away from the table, instead filling up her now empty glass with more juice. While he himself would be drinking more later, Rainee had a child to look after so he would keep her from drinking any more of the spirits. Instead he listened quietly, fully believing that the man who had married her must have been one of the bigger idiots to walk the world. What was the point of power if you had no one to share it with? No, sacrificing others for power was simply stupid to the blood mage.

He kept quiet about the reason the cult's attempt at making a construct had failed. The boy had been fully incorporated into the church, so if they had done things properly it would have worked out beautifully for them. But they got greedy, and tried to all see the future they were building. No, Rainee didn't need to know how close the cult had come to succeeding. Instead he rolled his finger around the rim of his glass.

"Well. For my plans, I simply intend to change the opinion on blood magic. The cult itself was, I believe, wiped out on the night of the failed ritual. And yes, as I said, my blood magic skills started there, though that was just the ability to work it. What I have done since then has been of my own volition. My potions used for healing, in Alchemy, for example, is not something the cult would have considered. I think of every day where I do thinks with my gift that they never would have done as a victory against their memory." He didn't mind answering at this point. She knew of his power and didn't care, so telling her of their demise didn't bother him.

Then she tried to say she would pay for things, and Nevin waved her off. "I'll take payment for the medical potions you sought, and one of her candies -
the rest is no matter. I'll need to clean up the spilled sedative potion a little, but that's the worst of the situation, so I don't mind." And in truth, finding someone who accepted his blood magic was worth a few spilled potions.

The feelings of the alcohol was flowing through her system, giving the cat-girl a warm, sleepy relaxed feeling. Another yawn escaped her her soft lips, as a little meow followed suit. The cat-girl was hearing Nevin's explanation, about how he followed his own goals in both alchemy and nurturing his gift with blood magic. Hearing that more then likely the cult had been wiped from existence on althanas, made Rainee very happy. In a soft, sleepy voice the cat-mother murmurs "I"m glad the cult no longer exists, that your strength wiped them out from existing on althanas. It means that other young children like my daughter Mylie are safe from being used as pawns in their horrible sounding rituals!" she then hugged her little girl tightly against her chest, her mind wandered though to other dangers that always seemed to stumble against her naive little girl's path.

My little angel always seems to find trouble, no matter how hard I try to keep her safe! Her own natural curiosity puts her in harm's way! Hence why I have to keep a hawk's eye on her and never let her wander out of my sight! Otherwise, I know from experience the minute she wanders away from me, some evil being snatches her up to use her to gain magical power! Or against me! the sleepy-feeling was growing stronger inside the typically energetic cat-girl's body. Instinctively she begin to stroke her daughter's hair again, a mother taking comfort and pride in the little one that she was raising to be strong and know what needed to be done in this world.

Little meows and cute sounds was humming occasionally from Rain's mouth, meant to soothe and comfort her still sleeping kitten. In a loud a voice as she could manage the tired anthro purrs softly "Are you sure Nevin? I have more then enough coin to pay for the potion spills I caused. I don't mind at all paying for them because my tail caused them to tip over!" she then yawned again loudly, the sound echoing from her lips.

Feeling more groggy still, Rainee reached for her glass now filled with grape juice and begin to sip it quickly a small smile on her lips as she whispers softly "I think I overdid with the cat-nip AND the alcohol Nevin! I"m starting to feel quite sleepy!" a exhausted smile was on her lips, as she continued to drink the grape juice, letting the fresh sweet flavor soothe her now overworked mind and try to stave off some of the after-effects of both the cat-nip potion and liquor intake she had consumed into her body.

Nevin had frozen stiff as Rainee spoke, the the sluggish and somewhat sleepy cat-woman didn't seem to notice. How did she know-? That's not - no one could - wait, calm down. She's thinking they died in the aborted ritual. Not.. not that. As she continued speaking, the Alchemist's back relaxed, his spine unwinding from the sudden bolt of worry that had shot through him. Instead he calmly poured himself some of the milk that his guest hadn't wanted, and sipped on the beverage as she spoke, nodding. The cult is indeed dead, so far as I'm aware. I could be wrong - but I sincerely doubt it. I saw most of their corpses myself the next day - and enough carnage to account for the missing ones. Whatever they unleashed that night.... it was thorough in sating itself before vanishing."

He watched, quiet, as she comforted the small kitten-girl in her arms. It was a warm, comforting sight, a mother caring for her child. A bit strange considering they were in what was essentially a stranger's kitchen, but Nevin had no ulterior motives on the two - now that Rainee had demonstrated that she did not care about his blood magic, they could come and go as they pleased, much the same as his friend Avis could. Instead he just shook his head slightly, knowing that she wouldn't see the motion as her attention was enraptured by her daughter.

"There's no need to concern yourself overly much. As I've said, I gather the ingredients for the potions myself, so at worst the damage I could not replace myself would be my time, or a glass bottle if one had broken, and none of those did. I shall merely lose out on a little time as I gather ingredients next time, which I will have to do anyway to restore my stocks that are depleted in the course of normal business. One advantage selling wares you make yourself has,
one has almost no overhead costs." The redhead shrugged slightly, his shoulders rolling smoothly with the motion. It was true - all making his potions cost him was ingredients and glass - even the clay pots that some of his solutions resided in were made by his hands. Really, all the costs he had now were the glass bottles for the more expensive potions or the more popular ones, and time. Neither of which were a true imposition to give up when compared with finding someone else who accepted his magic without any sign of a qualm.

As she struggled to stay awake, Nevin frowned. The woman was trying, but he could see that she was having problems with maintaining consciousness even now, as she sipped her grape juice. Without a word, he stood up and slipped up the ladder, and shortly a rain of blankets and quilts came down the hole, landing with soft fwumps on the ground, and then a set of pillows came after - obviously mismatched, and hand made. Nevin dropped down ontop of the pile, bouncing slightly, and stood up before brushing himself off. He bowed and swept one hand towards the pile of linens.

"For your use, if you feel you cannot safely return to your abode. If you desire, I can retreat to my workshop down below and you can make a bed atop of the door to ensure nothing untoward happens. And don't fret about me - I have a cot down there that I sleep on quite regularly as it is."

Sleep, rest sounds so good right about now. I a small hand covered her mouth as a loud yawn escaped from her lips. Holding her hand gently against her mouth to stifle another coming yawn. The cat-girl stretched and looked at the extremely comfortable looking bedding that Nevin was hopping down a ladder with. Or more precisely onto as she heard him land on it with a soft THUMP onto the plush pillows and blankets that he was offering to her and her daughter to sleep on. A small small came to her lips, as she could feel her silver eyes growing heavy with tiredness.

In a soft voice she meows out "Very kind of you to offer my daughter and I a place to rest Nevin. Your hospitality will not be forgotten! To be honest...I think I overdid it with both the catnip potion AND the alcohol! So, I will not be able to make it back to my home tonight!" She then rose up her daughter still held gently in her arms, carefully she placed the small kitten onto the chair, balancing her out so that she would still remain asleep while placed momentarily in the chair. Shuffling towards the bed, she smiled warmly at Nevin murmuring "Thank you so much Nevin, for sharing your past with me and listening to me vent my own woes. We might have just met, but I think this is the start of a friendship!"

She then bent down to pick up the blankets and pillows and moved towards the door murmuring "I do hope the cot you sometimes sleep on is comfortable Nevin, and once more thank you for letting us borrow your home for the evening..." she then got to work, doing what any mother would do best, make a place of rest cozy and inviting. She expertly placed both her pillow and Mylie just perfectly against the wall, next she used a combination of the sheets to make a sort of springy mattress of cotton to rest on, then she placed the comforter for her kitten and her to share on top of the sheet mattress. Looking at it she nods her head murmuring "This will work perfectly!" she then waved at Nevin, another yawn escaping from her lips, as her soft white tail jerked from the exhaustion wracking her body.

Sluggishly, Rainee ambled over to where her precious angel was still dozing away, picking her up gently, she slowly shuffled back to their bed for the night and carefully placed her little angel's head against the pillow. Leaning down she gave Mylie a soft kiss on her forehead, then pulled the comforter snuggling around her little sweetie's sleeping form. Tucking her in for the night, she turned to Nevin and murmurs "Good night Nevin, I can't thank you enough for this! I would have collapsed on the street...if you hadn't let us stay!" she then snuggled into her side of the bed and without another word, the cat-mother was soon sound asleep, her tail twitching gently as dreams overtook Rainee's mind, the culmination of events of the day causing the anthro to sleep quite heavily even though she was not in her own home.

Nevin watched the two for a few moments, then shook his head softly. He agreed with Rainee, it would seem he had found a new friend in her, and he wouldn't mind seeing her again. And that she had indeed overdone it on the imbibing, but considering their topics had gotten a hit raw, poking at barely healed wounds in the psyche, he couldn't blame her.

For now though, he went about securing the place, making sure all the windows were locked and the doors barred. This would be quite possibly the worst time for someone to break into his shop because he was forgetful and left something unattended. Once he was sure everything was locked up, he wrote out a quick note to Rainee, explaining what had happened, where she was, and where he was in case she needed him when she awoke. The note was mainly in case the alcohol and catnip rush had an adverse effect on her memory. The final line was a warning not to let Mylie down into the basement where he was - it was his primary workspace, and not safe for a young girl to be.

That done, he opened his hatch and headed down the ladder, closing the door firmly above him. Normally he did not awaken early, but with the... Unexpected house guests, he would need to make an effort to. So instead of puttering about in his workshop, the Alchemist doused his lights and stretched himself out on his cot, trying to calm his busy mind so he could sleep. It was strange though - this was the first time he had fallen asleep with someone else in his house... In quite a long time. He sighed, turned over to stare at the wall, and forced himself to lay still and not think of anything until he fell asleep.

~Fin~

Name of thread: Catnip's a herb, right?
Judgement type: No Judgement

Nevin receives:
1440 EXP
160 Gold

Nekoprincess receives:
1430 EXP
150 Gold

Being smart as a whip includes knowing when not to crack it.
Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
Robert A. Heinlein

All rewards have been added.