Down the Rabbit Hole...

[Carliah Dakrone]

Carliah giggled and allowed him to lead her to the tower. She smiled the entire time they walked, her arm still wrapped around the cat-like man. She had never heard of a Shi'ido before. She hoped he would be willing to teach her more about them.

"And perhaps after this story you can tell me a story about what a Shi'ido is? I'm afraid I've never heard of them before," she asked, nuzzling against his shoulder as they reached the tower and took a seat. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink ran his hand through Carliah's hair again, using his free hand to hold onto the arm that was wrapped around him. He bent a little bit to tickle her face with the soft fur-like hair on his head.

"Why don't I tell you about Shi'ido first? Then my eyes changing will make sense. The cat form might not, but at least you'll understand how I look like this."

He looked down at their feet quickly to check that they were comfortably braced against the crown-shaped thing on top of the tower.

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

Carliah giggled as his hair tickled her. She smiled up at him, watching his eyes. She thought she had noticed something strange about them and now the Miraluka knew what it was. They had changed color several times since the two began talking.

"Well, explain away kitty, I've got time," the Queen of Madness replied, looking down from their perch atop the tower. The two of them had a great view if the city surrounding the palace of Sheoth.

 

[Hijinks]

Jink let his eyes keep changing color and pattern as he looked at Carliah. By the time they stopped, he had the vague impression that his eyes were blue, with green vine-like patterns in them. The thought gave him a headache, so he blinked, and his eyes went back to purple. He laughed, and kissed the Mad Queen on the nose.

"Well, simple version: Shi'ido are shapeshifters. If we stay in a form for too long, we get stuck in it. I liked this form, so I never cared to change out of it. The only reason I can still change my eyes is 'cos I keep on changing them. Anyway, Shi'ido can live for a couple thousand years, or something like that. Never sounded like much fun to me."

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

"It would be interesting to see all of the changes that may come about in such along time though," Carliah replied, cuddling against him. She wondered if their was anyway he could get his ability to shapeshift back. Surely their had to be something that could be done. She wondered if he had ever searched for a solution to being stuck in his current from.

"And you're sure there is no way for you to regain the ability to shapeshift? Surely there must be some solution," she asked, her voice full of concern, something not heard very often from the Miraluka girl anymore. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink's small smile turned much bigger, and he hugged Carliah close to him for a few seconds, before speaking again. She sounded worried that he couldn't change shape anymore, and it was sweet of her, really. He just never really wanted to change.

"You sound so worried, like I lost something important, and couldn't find it again. I chose this form about a century ago, and I don't think I'll ever be happy as anything but a cat again. My parents hated the idea of solidifying, like it was some kind of insult to my heritage or whatnot. Of course, they didn't live to see me solidify, or to see me explore the Escher Doors, or to see me leave my post after all this time."

He kissed her lightly, and felt something like tears coming to his eyes. But he was almost laughing at the same time. Jink had managed to confuse himself.

"I basically solidified myself into my favorite form to spite my parents. I love cats, they hated 'em. I love fur, and the color purple. 'Nother big no no."

Now, Jink did laugh.

"I'm like the rebellious teenager, give or take a few hundred years."

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

Carliah laughed as he told his story. She knew what it was like to have parents that didn't approve, though her father's form of disapproval was vastly different. Her father had been a spice addict who blamed her for he death of her mother. He had abused her severely for years until finally Carliah had run away from her home. She spent several years travelling around the galaxy by stowing away on random ships. She found a home for a little while when she met Yusan, but well, Jink knew how that had ended. She reached up to wipe the tears from his eyes and smiled at him again.

"I think I understand," she replied, leaning in to kiss him again. She hadn't had a connection like this with anyone since Yusan. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink let Carliah kiss him, and then stayed that close, with his forehead resting against hers again.

"Incidentally, I don't recommend being a lonely drunk in a tower full of Force nexuses."

He grinned wildly, his eyes glinting a bit, and lowered his voice to a joking whisper.

"Why, you might even go mad!"

He half-pounced, half hugged Carliah, and laughed loudly.

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

Carliah laughed along with him as he hugged her. She thoroughly enjoyed the presence of this cat. She hoped he would be staying for a very, very long time indeed. A sudden thought came to her and she grinned up at him.

"Well I believe you're in the wrong place then Jink. You see, we're all mad here," Carliah whispered, a seductive tone entering her voice as she spoke. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

The eyebrow not covered by Jink's hair raised up in a slightly provocative way.

"I'm in exactly the right place, then. An abundance of madness is just what's needed."

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

"Well as long as you're with me madness will never be in short supply," Carliah whispered back, pulling the man closer and nuzzling against him. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink smiled at the close contact with Carliah, and was about to move his head to kiss her, but something occurred to him when he felt the rainwater on her back.

"Stupid question, but should we be doing this in the rain? Not worried about making out on the roof. Just about the rain."

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

"If you'd like we could head back to my private quarters. It's a lot drier and warmer there. And we won't be seen so easily," Carliah winked suggestively at him as she spoke, taking his hand a gesturing towards the window that had exited the kitchen from. She waited for him to the lead the way, scared that if she stepped off before him she would plummet to the ground and turn into a nice red stain. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink smiled crookedly, and put his hand on Carliah's waist, holding out their other arms as if to dance... And that was exactly what he intended.

"Well, then, let's dance on down in the rain."

He kissed her on the nose again.

"My mad temptress."

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

Carliah smiled and took his other hand as well. She wasn't that great of a dancer, but she had the feeling this cat would be an excellent teacher. She smiled happily a he swung her about, her body moving instinctively as he lead their little dance. She laughed the whole time, smiling madly as the slowly descending in the rain. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

As they reached the window, Jink lowered them a little so as not to crack their heads coming in, and he put them both down on the ground. He grinned at Carliah, and stuck his tongue out.

"We should practice dancing more. Maybe next time we're floating in the rain."

Without any warning, he shook himself like, well, a wet cat, and water went flying everywhere. Especially on Carliah.

"Whoops."

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

"Perhaps we should," Carliah smiled and beckoned a servant over to clean it up. She took Jink by the hand and lead him off through the palace. She finally stopped at her private quarters. She opened the door and let the way into a room with deep green wall with silver trim. Large banners of green emblazoned with silver snakes covered parts of the walls and the light had a green tint to it as if the entire room were underwater. The room was full of plush green chairs and couches and on the wall opposite where Carliah stood beside the door was an archway leading to her bedroom. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink grinned as he looked around the room with all the green and plush, and embellishments. He laughed as he realized why the rooms seemed so familiar. He looked at Carliah, and grinned wider.

"Would you believe me if I said my room was more or less a mirror image of this, except with onyx cats and purple furniture?"

Another thought, a bit of an uncomfortable one, hit him: If he ended up without his shirt, Carliah might see the chains and get freaked out. They were very strange weapons, after all.

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

Carliah smiled as she walked to a small table by one of the couches. Gouged into the floor was a line and a one the wall opposite the line was a target. Carliah grabbed a set of what looked like butcher's knives off the table and walked over to the line. She held one of the five knives gently by the blade and drew her arm back. She snapped it forward and smiled as the knife went sailing into the center of the target. The knife made a 'snicker' sound as it flew and a 'snack' sound as it thudded into the wall. She turned and grinned at her feline companion.

"Care for a friendly game?" she called, gesturing to the target which resembled a traditional dart board. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink smiled, picking up another set of the heavy knives. With a fluid underhand motion, the first knife went spinning from his grasp, to scratch Carliah's first knife, and slide a bit below it, still making it a near-perfect shot.

"Hmm... Just how friendly should this game get, while we're throwing sharp objects?"

He winked at her, and his tail started waving again.

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]