Post by Mittens Mckittens on Jun 12, 2023 0:15:16 GMT
The aarakocra drummed her unnervingly blood-red ‘painted’ talons upon the floorboards.
“Where is what Mrs Thistle-fossil?”
The cowled kitten asked quietly, eyes fixed upon the equally garish ‘painted’ claws extending from the gnarled hand held before his nose.
“You know what I mean-The rent, boy! Where’s my money?!”
The old rook croaked at him, the large gemstones on the gaudy pearl necklace fixed around her neck gleaming at him accusingly.
Mittens nose tweaked at the sour smell of her breath, as he brought one eye up cautiously to meet her own.
“I paid you last week…Dropped it in the rent-box outside your apartment on time, just like always.”
“Don’t give me that cheek!” The landlady snapped, her claw creaking into an accusatory spike directed right between his eyes. “You’re short! Two weeks short infact!”
“Short…? I’m not short-..Oh…I guess Miss Kennari-?”
“Paid in advance? Yes!” The landlady confirmed. “I was opposed to letting a young lady of her..” she said the next word as if describing a particularly pungent pile of horse manure. “..‘standing’ and her-”, her eyes narrowed with contempt “-student.”
Mittens felt his fists clench.
“Where is your ‘so-called’ teacher anyway?” The aarakocra continued, swishing a sleeve of her garishly coloured robe to the room.
“I haven’t seen her in weeks, and her advanced payment has now run-dry!”
“She’s..busy…Got a lot of of important out-of-town ‘research’ on at the moment.” Mittens murmured in response.
“Oh really?” The aracokra probed, “So important she ‘forgot’ to settle her upcoming rent, and left a grubby little kitten alone in ‘My premises.’
“Look-I’ve got the money I’ll pay,” Mittens retorted through clenched teeth, “Just let me go’n-”
“Perhaps I don’t want your money.” The crow clucked, resting her feathered hands on her bony hips,
“Perhaps I’ve already decided: On kicking you out!-And flogging all this ‘magical' junk in the market place!”
“You can’t do that!” Mittens snapped back, his tail bristling with anger, clenched fists, unseen by the old crow,
starting to emanate with crackling blue glow.
“Oh yes I can! We had an agreement! Infact-”, she scrutinised Mitten with her cruel yellow eyes,
“-perhaps I should summon The Watch, and tell then she’s abandoned her charge on my property!-There’s an orphanage in town you know, just the place for little urchins like you!”
Mittens felt the hiss forming in his throat, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the sneering face of his landlady, mind-whirring on just what terrifying phantasmal ‘Fear’ would effect this vile creature, as he began to form the incantation in his mind-
“Delivery!” A high cheerful voice echoed from the doorway of Mittens’ apartment, cutting the tension in the room as suddenly as an awkwardly miss-timed joke.
Mittens watched, fists no longer glowing. As a short-well shorter than him-female fairy entered the room:
A loose orange robe covering her muscular and athletic figure, peculiar black insect legs protruding from a pair of green and yellow cloth shorts.
Short black hair swept behind two pointed ears, a pair of orange..dragonfly?-No beetle-wings humming from her back, as she hovered over to land
beside them a roughly wrapped bottle clutched in her hand.
“Delivery for Mrs Twizzle-twassel,” she smiled brightly.
“Urg-Hmph! Mrs Thistle-fossil thank you!” The landlady correctly indignantly.
“Oh-my mistake!” The fairy apologised with a slight over the top bow.
“I can be so awful with names! Can you believe once I nearly got two friends names completely mixed-up? Its caused a lot of flittin’head scratching for folk I’ll tell ya!”
“Mrhmm…” The aracokra responded, clearly not the least bit interested. “You said you had my delivery?” Extending a wisened claw towards the fairy.
“Wow-what a sweet digs this is!” The fairy exclaimed, lifting off to take a quick aerial tour of the room. I bet it must cost a pretty penny to rent somewhere like this!”
“Well, yes-exactly my point!” Replied the landlady, directing a cruel smile in Mittens direction. “In fact I was just evicting an ‘unappreciative-tennant!’
“Evicting?” The fairy enquired, stopping mid-orbit to look over at Mittens curiously. “Why, has he done something wrong?”
“He’s fallen behind on his rent,” Mrs Thistle-fossil said simply, “and therefore I have no choice but to-”
“But I’ve got the money-I’ve got the money right here!-Look!” Mittens cried, rushing over to pull open a small box from a cupboard, counting out a fistful of coins before returning over to hold them up at the Landlady, whose eyes couldn’t seem to help but gleam as they caught sight of the coins.
“Oh-well I don’t seem to see what the problem is then?” The fairy said, hovering back over to them.
“Cat pays his rent gets to sleep in his bed-problem sorted right?”
“T-the matter is,” Mrs Thistle-fossil stated, hand itching to grab the coins from Mittens outstretched hand, but resisting.
“Is this-this child! Has been left essentially in my care, and I’m afraid a simple weekly fee won’t do it!”
“Oh-OOOH!” The fairy exclaimed with a emphasised exclamation, her eyes meeting Mittens’ swiftly before flicking back away from him-Did she just wink at him?
The fairy tutted, shaking her head as she air walked in front of them, before gesturing at Mittens.
“You-you think he’s a child? Oh dear.”
“W-well isn’t he?” The aarakocra scoffed, her plumage a little ruffled.
“Well he might-look-like a child,”the fairy stated scholarly, “but bug’haps, he’s one of those races where they…Oh what’s the word…Ah..‘Mature’ differently.An easy mistake to make really!’
‘What?!’ Mittens thought perplexed, ‘Was this fairy lying-for him?’
“A tricky business land’ladying,”
The fairy persevered beyond the scrutinising glare Mrs Thistle-fossil was now giving her, between occasional troubled glances in his direction.
“Though not surprising, giving a woman your age.”
The fairy said, matter a factly. “I guess thats why you need this!”
She held the crudely wrapped ornate glass bottle in her hand aloft, sending it spinning in the air with a small toss much to Mrs Thistle-fossil’s concern before catching it again,
and beginning to read the label aloud.
“Feathers Mc’Caws All-In-One Plumage Restorer. Rejuvenate those lank life-lifeless feathers and bring back some colour to your flutter!-Works wonders on all pattern baldness.”
Her eyes lifting to focus upon the particularly large silky feathered cap perched tightly atop Mrs Thistle-fossil’s head.
Mittens jaw gapped as his Lady croaked with rage and embarrassment, the thinning of her feathers becoming very apparent from the reddening of her skin beneath.
“Sounds buggin’amazing!-Flittin’expense too I imagine?”
The fairy said, before suddenly seeming to lose her grip, catching the bottle by the spout and ending its swift descent towards the floor. “Woops!-Clumsy me!” She posed apologetically.
“Anyway-I guess you’re been needing all the rent you can get if you’re purchasing stuff like this.” She smiled, offering the bottle out to the aarakocra who snatches it flusteredly,
holding it protectively to her chestm before grasping the coins out of Mittens still proffered palm and making her way hastily towards the door.
“I-I expect double payment from now on each time next week!” She squawked.
“Oh!-I almost forgot!” the fairy called after her, making hunched aarakocra stop mid-stride to leer back from the doorway.
“Have a lovely day Miss Twizzle-twassel!”
The fairy beamed, sharp pointed teeth and emerald green eyes glinting with glimmers of mischief in the window-shafted sunlight.
Mittens jaws began moving again. He began to stammer up toward the still-hovering fairy,“T-that was-”
“Risky?-Rude?-Really flittin’stupid?”
The fairy answered, landing down the floorboards with a ‘clack’ of her clawed feet, pulling at the neck of her orange robe with a look of guilty-unease.
“Think I went a bit far adding in the pattern baldness line.”
Mittens whiskers quiver, before suddenly, he starts laughing. The happy sound drawing out his friend Libby from her hiding place up on the bookshelf, the bee coming over to whizz tunefully around the fairy’s head, making her laugh with puzzlement and surprise.
“So Mittens huh?”
The fairy says, as they walk together out onto the balcony over looking the summer lit grounds of The Raven Queen’s shrine.
“Care to tell me why you’re staying here all alone under old ‘bloody-claws'?”
“I-I’m not staying here alone-I’m staying here with me Teacher-Miss Kennari! She-she’s just…Been gone for a little while.” Mittens admits truthfully.
The fairy stares at him, giving him a look not unlike Calla gave him when she learnt of Kennari’s absence a few weeks back. But then her face softens, the healing scratch marks across it un-contorting, before she gives a small simple accepting nod.
“Fair enough. I’m not one to pry! Bug’knows I’ve got a lot enough of my own..’paternal-problems' to deal with at the mo!”
She turns away to flit up and perch on the rail of the balcony before talking over ther shoulder to him.
“Just know-if you have any more problems with the old crone, just hit’s ‘The Rooftop Beetles-Base’ in Swampside.
Old warehouse, you can’t miss it!
I’m making new friends in high places too that I’m sure could help-and not just because of these!”
She gestures with a thumb at her amber wings as they flit open and start humming.
“Well-thanks Miss um..The Beetle.”
Mitten says, swearing he’d heard the name be mentioned by some magic-folk talking the fighting pits when he was awaiting his turn in
The Spell-Duelling Area.
“Oh-I don’t really use that name at anymore!”, the fairy said nonchalantly
with merest of shrugs, before launching herself up and off over the rooftops as she calls back,
“Just call me Beets!
