wierdw

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

"Oh, A'course miss Nina! Jus' a minute!" huffed the bear, as he levered himself upright at an almost alarming speed, then shuffled to the door, before opening it gently.

"C'mon in-- Lil' thang's all hidin' un'er da bed. Prolly scared o' a big thang like I is, but more ascared o's the people downstairs. Bringin' 'er up were prolly a good idear."

He turned his head over his shoulder and practically bellowed, but in a smooth and clam candor--

"Hey 'ere lil' miss! 'IS nice lady a 'ere ta help ya gits all cleaned up! 'Er name's Nina, an' she seem real nice. Won't ya come ou'? I's'll wait ou'side and e'vruthung. Ain't nuthin ta be a scared a- Jus' warm water & soap! Be a shame ta le' it all goes ta waste!"

He returned his attention to Nina. "I think's she more an' half-deaf. Poor thang. Ha'f blin' tuh, but 'at on'y work in muh favor. Mama say I is handsome, buh not many peoples agrees. Mos' seem ta think I's is scary." he chuckled. "Plenty a bears thinks I's cute 'dou."

He heaved in a sigh, not really relieved by his own attempt at humor. "I jus' don' wanna scare er no more an she already is.. Ya know? I's worried 'bout 'er." He leaned closer to Nina, much like he had down stairs. "I hears she was a "Owned" by sumbody, and she right mad as the folks downstairs as 'put a stop ta it', if'n ya knows what I mean. I dun think she e'er had a .. normal .. life. Aint tuh late to start naow, but gittin 'er ta sees it at way? ... Gonna take a bit I fear. ... She thinks I's had a han' in it... But I's jus' foun' out 'bout it like ya has. I jus' wan' her ta has a shot a' a normal life, ya know?"

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Cedar backed away from the hall, opened the door after a gentle knock to let the girl know he was coming back in, then quickly darted back inside. He shut the door behind him with an almost palpable feeling of relief.

He really disliked being in such a confined space with so many people. It set off too many instinctual cues. He envied how 'easily' and "fluidly" full humans could handle that, and wondered how the odd fox-man managed it. He would have to ask more candidly later, when it was just the two of them. How he did that fancy trick to conceal his appearance was another, though he felt it was a two edged sword-- On the one hand, being able to fully pass as human in public would be very helpful in some circumstances, but on the other-- using it as a way of life? He was not at all ashamed of what he was-- how the world felt about it be damned. "Hiding" was not an acceptable recourse in his view.

"Sorry 'bout 'at." he said to the seemingly empty room, knowing full well the girl was hiding beneath the bed again. "E'res just too damn many people ou'side righ' naow. If'n I thought I'd fit, I'd be tempted ta hide unner 'at bed muself."

He plodded up to the side of the bed, then laid down on the floor beside it, with his back to the bed. Close enough that his presence would have to be tolerated, but not too close to invade her sanctum of refuge.

"I'mma take a nap. If'n ya needs anythung, or jus' wants ta talk, I'd be happy tuh."

He stretched and yawned. He was hungry enough to eat the butthole out of a 3 day old dead skunk-- RAW-- but that would mean having to endure that clusterfuck of a crowd downstairs again, and his nerves were shot. The repeated intrusions, conflictory requests, and other demands of his attention had rattled him, and he needed to calm down and relax. The terrified girl was at least quiet.

"If'n ya gits cold or summat, lemme know. I kin pull the blanket and pillaw down fer ya, and stuff it unner dere-- or ya can lay on muh back-- either one. I dun care."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Cedar crossed his arms, and was getting a little irritated.

He was hungry, and being accosted by too many people, too quickly, outside an area he had subconsciously staked territorial exclusion over, with contradictory demands.

"Lis'n. I'd be happy tuh try an' fin'ya somebody--er-- A nice bird ta deliver whate'er ya tryin' ta deliver tuh da castle. But be reason'ble here. Decides what ya gunna do, be sure 'bout it, DEN come sees me, aright?"

The words came out more cross than he had intended, and he winced inwardly at it. Why was it so difficult to deal with people sometimes, and not others? He didn't understand it.

"Uh means... " he stammered, then sighed. "Look, it ain't at hard, and talkin' bout it in da hallway ain't da bes' place. When ya knows what ya want, come tell me, aright? Until den, we's all pluggin' up da hall."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

"I didn' bring 'er, 'hey did--" said Cedar somewhat dismissively. "All I knows is she hurt, and clearly been through a lot. Just honest decency ta see 'at she gets a decent shot at livin."

He looked at Matilda suspiciously a moment, appraising her.

"Ya prolly wants a raven, or a jackdaw. More likely ta fin' a jackdaw 'round 'ese parts. They likes livin' roun' people. Question is how we gonna convince one ta fly all a way up dere, lookin for a human they knows nothin 'bout. Normally, I ask the locals 'bout things in the local area as they normally lives in, at way 'eres no fuss. I kin go wanderin' outside lookin if ya wants, but caint really promise nutin. Birds is like anythung else-- gots dere own minds, an wants. Ya gots ta make it wort' dere while. Raven's smart'r. Lots smart'r. Almost people smart. Also, almost people selfish. Ya practically gots ta save 'er lives ta get at kind a relationship goin wit one."

He sucked in a deep breath, then let it out.

"Aright.. I' go lookin'. Make sure as nobody goes in 'ere, and dun scare at girl-- aright? She scared 'nuff. No pickin' er up and shakin' er, aright? Got 'nuff to try an salvage wit' at girl, dun need ta adds more trauma."

He looked at Kaito next.

"Dun think I dun forgot 'bout you neither mister. Dun go in dere. 'smportant."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

"Yeah-- that'd be nice. Dun go in 'ere 'dou. Girl's fixin ta wet 'erself, she so scared. Hidin' uner da bed like a scared fox, and jus' as snappy. I gits the idear that if she coulda done sommat like plow somebody hard 'nuff ta shatter four ribs an' tear a shoulder, she'd a dun it by naow ta escape. She prolly outta juice at 'ta moment. All da same, she prolly bitecha if ya sticks ya nose unner 'dere. Say.... She did say at "Mean, cat-eyed elf woman's 'talent'" were "all over".. ....Ya s'pose?"

Cedar remained where he was, blocking all ingress or egress through the door with his bulk, but sucked in a breath and expended a little more of his power, despite the risk of going flat himself without warning, due to not eating right. His awareness of magical energies sharpened, but the only thing he could detect was the man right in front of him, who was under such a powerful aura, that it almost hurt looking at him this way.

Cedar raised an eyebrow in alarm at the man, but the aura seemed very tightly confined to just his person.

"Nah... I aint git'in nut'in from the nice elf lady downsta'rs.... But YA is practically bleedin' magic.. Care ta enlighten a fellar as ta what ya up ta son? I ain't gunna let ya in dere all glowed up like 'AT. Not tills I knows what ya up ta."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Cedar laid down in the doorway. Somber emotions filled him.

So, that elf lady had killed this "master" of hers? He had no idea. He'd have to ask questions later.

His heart strings pulled as she fought against the scar tissue in her chest. He'd love to treat that for her, but until she was willing to come out, and let him touch her, there was no way to. This would just have to work itself out.

He heaved a big breath, and stayed right where he was. He hoped she would eventually work up the courage to come out and at least investigate the room more. He could talk to her more then. Until then, she was at least safe. --If choosing some less-than-human habits. He didn't really mind those though. He was used to them. The others outside might be less understanding though. Better to keep them out, at least for now.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Cedar chuckled in a somewhat amused and jovial way.

"Muh name's Cedar. -- Like da tree. Muh daddy give it tuh me. Ya dont's got ta come out ifn' ya dun wanna.. bu' i's gunna be hard ta git ya any food 'r water unner dere. --An who's 'Teddy'?"

He raised one eyebrow and his ears twitched.

"anyhoo-- Ya dun has ta be scared like a lil' bunny rabbit un'er dere. Anyone as tries ta hurt ya, I'll bites em for ya, how 'bout dat?"

The girl just cowered and sobbed at him and tried to scoot away from the edge of the bed. He knew better than to try and invade that space. This was very much like trying to win the trust of a wild, wounded animal.

"Tell ya wat. Ya dun has tuh come out, but ya will 'ventally. Everone gotta pee soon'r -r later. ---This ain't no cage hon. Ya can come out when'er ya wants. In da meantime, I sees ya wants ta be lef' alone. At's fine. Ain't no rush. I'mma gunna head back o'er tuh da doorway, and keeps people out. If'n ya change ya mind, and wanna talk, jus come up behin' me, aright? I ain't no prison warden-- but I kin keeps ya safe, aright?"

He made as much of a nod as was possible with his chin literally flat on the floor, then scooted to turn around, levered back up onto all fours again, then plodded to the door, where he laid down once again, this time facing out through the doorway.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Cedar's ears perked up, and he turned his head to the side, looking back into the room behind him.

He had seated himself on the floor, just in the open doorway of the room, looking out. He wasn't really sure why he was sitting there, like that; He assured himself he was just waiting for hot water, whenever Nina was able to get it ready and bring it from the kitchens-- but deep down, he could tell there was a more complicated answer. He rubbed his head in confusion. He had felt these kinds of impulses from more social forest creatures, but he did not expect to have it suddenly appear inside his own behavior set. It occurred to him that he was guarding a den. Maybe the part of him that was bear, and the part of him that was man, had colluded in some unexpected way?

Regardless, he heard the girl speak for the very first time, then heard shuffles as she clamored out of the bed, then crawled along the floor to hide underneath it.

Master?

He was sure that was the word the girl had spoken, but he was confused by the implication. People did not have masters-- Domesticated animals-- creatures who had the will and intellectual grit to survive and thrive on their own literally bred out of them-- THOSE had masters, and could not survive without them. A thought that was dark and hideous crawled through his mind, that maybe this girl had been.. Selectively bred.. The same process that humans had used to transform wolves into ... Dogs. The idea of a "Dog-ified" human, disturbed him deeply. What kind of cruel, sick, and twisted being would envision or enact such a thing? He hoped very intensely that this was just his imagination running wild with him, and that there was some other, less horrendous explanation.

Regardless, she seemed able to talk. Maybe she could shed some light on the mystery of what she meant by 'master'.

Since she was already hiding UNDERNEATH the bed, like some trapped animal, he decided to forego standing upright, and instead just levered himself up onto all fours, then plodded slowly into the room, to lay down on the floor beside the bed, 90 degrees to its orientation, looking under it.

"Hullo un'er 'ere." he drawled. He could feel his voice vibrate the floor, with the silly position he had placed himself in. He imagined he must look more like a fat and lumpy 'carpet' at the moment. (another chilling and horrible thing that humans did with wild animals. Carpets.) "Ya don' hav' ta hide ya know. I won' bitecha."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

"Naw, 'ats gud. I dun tooked enough o yo' time. Thankya ageen miss--"

"Nina."

"Thankya ageen Miss Nina. I'll jus sit 'ere in da door until yas can get i' in 'ere."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Cedar put a paw on the tavern girl's shoulder. It was heavy, but he did his best to be gentle.

"......Thank ya..."

The words came out with more emotion than he really wanted, but it was hard to keep them in check. He was glad to have these feelings, even though they hurt. He was glad to be has father's son.

The tacit implication of the girl's voiced concern and admonishment stung, but he had become used to such things. It always hurt-- he had never hurt anybody, nor been with anybody. Ever. But people had feelings about him all the same. His brother took it harder than he did, but right now, he had to push it aside. Truth would win out in the end. It always did. .. Usually.

He left the door open, then carried the unconscious girl inside, before looking for a comfortable sitting chair to set her down in for her bath.