----------------------------------------------
RESPITE MARKET - EARLY AFTERNOON
----------------------------------------------
Xochicoatl slithers through town with a spry, youthful motion, her rainbow feathered wings held upright at her sides, whereas an older snake might have let them fall flat along her back. She quickly finds herself in the market, keeping her posture upright and dignified as she surveys the town.
Vix looks up from her market stall as she notices a familiar-looking coatl...no, she's mistaken. She waves anyways, though!
Xochicoatl catches sight of the wave, approaching the stall with the cat in it. She folds her arms behind her back and tsks, clearly trying to appear very regal, though she speaks with a slight snake-like accent, "You are the first to acknowledge me. I ssseek food and sssanctuary. You will be rewarded in due time."
Vix blinks. This snake is a little strange. Regardless, she points to a plate of cookies. "I uh...have some free samples?"
Xochicoatl takes a cookie and examines it carefully, then eats it. "Very good. Your ssskill as a baker is noted. What is your name, cat?"
Vix giggles. "Vix. I have a bunch of fresh treats here if you wanna buy some~"
Xochicoatl makes a slightly disgusted face, "You would charge me? Ahh, I sssuppose that is only to be expected. Thisss is not my Kingdom."
Vix blinks. "You have a kingdom? In that case, I might accept royal favors as payment~"
Xochicoatl chuckles, a harsh hissing sound, "I will have a kingdom. I am XochiCoatl." She puts emphasis on the 'Coatl', though she does lower her voice a bit, her tone is filled with pride, "I am the Princess of Tepetlkoatl, and one day I will retake my throne and guide my people. I have come here to be free, until my time comes."
Vix 's ears perk up and she leans forward. "Hold on, Xochi? You're way more shiny than the last time I saw you."
Xochicoatl clicks her tongue, "Xochicoatl, please." She raises an eyebrow, "What do you mean 'last time' you saw me? I have only just arrived in town today."
Vix tilts her head. "Hmm, is that a common name? Or do you have a twin?"
Xochicoatl shakes her head, "I am alone. I am the last true blood Coatl, I assure you, there is no one else like me, Vix."
Vix nibbles on one of her own sample cookies as she thinks. "Er, I'll take your word for it. You said you needed a place to stay?"
Xochicoatl hmms, straightening her posture once again. "I do. As you sssuggest, 'royal favor' may be exchanged. Or coin if such vulgarities are necessary."
Vix leans back in her chair. "My place might be a bit messy for you, and the inn too...'pedestrian'. Maybe you could stay with Louma? She's uh...our coatl guard."
Xochicoatl starts in surprise, "Another coatl, here? Not pureblood, sssurely? But then... perhapsss that is why I came here...?" She seems confused for a moment, as if the information isn't all completely at hand, cringing as she tries to recall something that she doesn't know can be recalled or not. "It... must be."
Vix nods, somewhat following along. "Yeah, uh...maybe she'll help you find what you're looking for? Or...establish your kingdom?"
Xochicoatl nods, smiling, "My time ssshall come, Vix. Bring me to this Captain Louma."
Vix didn't say she was a captain. Regardless, she gets up from her booth and bows slightly to Xochicoatl. "Of course! Right this way!"
Xochicoatl follows after Vix, taking another cookie before she goes. "This place is very different from my homeland. Arid and dry. But the air smells so... free."
Vix hums. "It's nice, right? Good for health~"
Xochicoatl chuckles again, "Good for health? Good. It would not do for me to fall ill. I have much I mussst do."
Vix leads Xochicoatl through the streets, quietly puzzling over what would happen if she met the other Xochi. "Hmmm, down this street and on the right..."
Xochicoatl hums in triumph, "Sssurely this Louma has been awaiting my arrival. Sssurely this has all been planned out, I just know it! You have done a great ssservice to my throne, Vix. I am indebted to you." She slithers up to the door alongside Vix, and nods to the cat to knock.
Vix chuckles and knocks on the door. "I guess we'll find out, huh?"
Xochicoatl nods, turning eagerly to Louma's door to await her fellow Coatl's appearance. ...and waits. "You are certain this is the correct address?"
Vix glances up to check the number on the door frame. "Y-yeah! I guess she's just busy, though. Want to try the inn?"
Xochicoatl sighs, deflating slightly. She manages to laugh it off after a moment, "I am willing to wait. Perhapsss it is foolish to think my destiny would all come together in one day, but sssurely, another Coatl in town? It must be sssome kind of sign!"
Vix thinks of another coatl house they could check, but puts it out of her mind. Too risky. "Are you folks really that rare?"
Xochicoatl nods, posture straightening once again, "Pureblooded Coatls are all dead... all save me. You can tell because of my rainbow feathers." She flaps her wings, though lacks the knowledge to fly just yet, having only just come of age. "Some of my people bear signs of Coatl blood, or blessings, but none are like me.... not... not any longer."
Vix sits on the step, letting the melancholy of the moment pass her by. "Blessings...so you can do magic?"
Xochicoatl shakes her head, "I know no magic." She glances around again, then shifts closer to Vix and settles down onto her coil to sit. "I hear voices sssometimes. Ssspirits talk to me, and I talk back."
Vix: Oh! That's kinda magical.
Xochicoatl grins, "So I'm sorta magic, yes. As is only proper for a Princess."
Vix kicks her feet a little. "Seems very fitting for you. What other princess stuff can you do?"
Xochicoatl flaps her wings a bit, "I can fly! Well, I can't fly yet... I haven't been taught. But I'm old enough to fly now! That'sss Princesss-y, right?"
Vix nods. "That sounds pretty fun! I wish I had pretty wings like yours..."
Xochicoatl does bow her head at the compliment, "You flatter me. I am eager to take flight... I thought... I almost thought I never would. But those loyal to me granted me freedom. Which is why I am here now." She glances around the street outside of Louma's house.
Vix hums thoughtfully. "Is it okay for you to be out in the open? Someone might be looking for you!"
Xochicoatl seems uncertain at the thought of that, "I... m-might they be? I essscaped! That means I'm free, and ssso I... they wouldn't try to take me back would they?" She seems scared at the thought, to be certain, as if she never even considered it until right now.
Vix stands up and dusts herself off. "
Vix: "Calm down, calm down. We just have to get you off the street. Here, I'll get you inside..."
Vix turns on her heel and quietly picks the lock.
Xochicoatl is glancing up and down the street, as if it were full of enemies that could pounce at any second. She puts a hand to her chest and takes a few breaths at Vix's works, watching the cat jump up to open the door. "Y-you... had a key?"
Vix gently pushes the door open while quickly pocketing her lockpick. "Uh, yeah! Here, go on in."
Xochicoatl slips inside Louma's house, glancing around the sparsely furnished abode, and slithering over towards the sunlight filtering down to the floor of the main room, creating a warm spot. "Louma will be alright if we wait here inside?"
Vix: Oh, of course! Louma is super cool
Xochicoatl relaxes, opening up her wings to the sun for a moment and smiling as she calms back down. "Good... good. Then, I ssshall stay here, and once Louma returns... then I ssshall learn what to do next. You... will ssstay with me for now, Vix?"
Vix blinks, then smiles. "Um...sure! I can hang out for a while."
Xochicoatl does not quite have a long enough tail at this age to really let someone else sit upon it so easily, and she still seems a little uncertain of herself as she motions towards the floor next to her, but Vix has been good company, and the one thing that Xochicoatl may just share with her older counterpart is a loneliness. "Sssit in the sun with me, then, and tell me more about Respite. While we wait."
Vix curls up next to Xochi, claiming a bit of the sunny patch. "Alrighty! Where should I begin?"
Xochicoatl begins by asking Vix about herself, and how she came to Respite, just making idle conversation as they sit in the sun, waiting on the Swek Captain to return... something she will not be doing anytime soon.
----------------------------------------------
SOMEWHERE ELSE - SOMETIME
----------------------------------------------
Nesseth finds himself wandering a long stretch of tool-hewn stone, a rough hallway leading through what seems to be the bedrock of a very large mountain. His footsteps echo, no matter how hard he tries to be quiet, and even his breathing seems amplified in the oppressive darkness. The torch in his hand glows brightly, but barely illuminates much beyond a small sphere around him, with everything past that point quickly fading into inky blackness. He feels like he's supposed to be searching for something... or someone, but who?
Nesseth continues to walk, torch held high, his body tensed almost beyond endurance as he scans ahead, always expecting something to come into view with every step. He eventually feels a cold chill wash over him, the torch light flickering in a cold and almost non-existent breeze. Carried upon that breeze, barely audible, a distant rumble can be heard.
Nesseth shivers at the sound, something dreadfully familiar, and horribly dangerous, his brain tells him, but beyond a moment or two of hesitation, he strives to continue on.
Nesseth makes it perhaps another dozen steps or so when a quiet, menacing chuckle comes from behind him. He freezes, then spins, torch held high to see who's been stalking him this whole time despite his caution. He doesn't get to see much more than a vague blob of a shadow before a harsh shout rents the air, and a jagged spear of lightning surges his way, a loud thunderclap sounding in his ears as the first jolt of a lightning attack hits him.
----------------------------------------------
NESSETH'S HOUSE - NEAR MIDNIGHT
----------------------------------------------
Nesseth jolts awake, safe and sound in his bed, though breathing hard from the vivid nightmare. He looks around in a near-panic, expecting to see Xeilrzus looming over him, ready to strike again, but as the darkened room resolves into familiar features, and he feels the warmth of someone resting beside him, he slowly begins to relax again, though his heart continues to race. After several seconds, he groans quietly to himself and leans forward, trying to will himself to calm down completely.
Erika stirs at the groan as she holds Nesseth close to her, having wrapped her arms and neck around his torso and shoulders in her sleep. She doesn't wake up, but rather murmurs something unintelligible in her sleep. She holds Nesseth tighter as she does.
Nesseth blinks as he's pulled closer against Erika, only to find himself feeling weirdly vulnerable at the moment. The interrupted sleep, the vividness of the nightmare, and the sudden awakening all work to fray his nerves, and he finds himself inexplicably tearing up a little as he snuggles closer against the okapi.
Erika continues mumbling as she holds Nesseth tighter: "Mnoo... don't go... the marshmallows will get you, and we'll all get covered in soda..."
Nesseth flexes his frills a bit, listening to Erika's sleepy non-sequitur, only to chuckle as he gently nuzzles against her neck, sneaking a soft kiss so as to not try and wake her up.
Erika mm's some more, her expression softening: "...though I guess mm... there be worse thingsm..." She sleepily leans onto Nesseth before blinking her eyes open slowly: "Mm...wha?"
Nesseth is content to just rest against Erika until he dozes off again, but her waking up makes him chuckle quietly and reply with a rather sheepish smile. "Uh... h-hey, Erika... Sorry about waking you up..."
Erika blinks dumbly for a second: "Mhuh?" She slowly realizes how all over Nesseth she is, and an uncertain blush finds her face if only briefly.
Nesseth is obviously perfectly okay with Erika's positioning next to and on him, and makes it clear with another soft kiss on her neck. "Sorry about, uh... waking you up..."
Erika blinks and giggles: "You woke me up? I thought it was the marshmellows." She gives a small shrug and just holds Nesseth close.
Nesseth blinks and tilts his head curiously, Erika's presence definitely working wonders to calm him down. "The... marshmallows? You must have been having an interesting dream, dear."
Erika smiles lopsidedly: "They were... planning... something..." She pauses, shrugging her shoulders again: "I don't know."
Nesseth chuckles a little and snuggles against Erika again. "Well, if we run into any marshmallows, we'll make sure their evil plans are dashed, hm?"
Erika nods slowly, humming on this: "Yes... that is probably for the best." She squints aside for a moment as though trying to decipher what this evil plan of dastardly eatables might be.
Nesseth stays quiet for a few seconds, before a little chuckle escapes. He tilts his head up a bit and smiles at Erika. "Thanks for being you, dear."
Erika blinks, then leans on Nesseth with a smile: "But of course. Who else would I be?" She blinks: "...don't answer that."
Nesseth chuckles a bit more audibly this time as he hugs Erika close. "Don't worry, I'm definitely going to just appreciate who you are right now. You, like Vix and Plume, seem to make things feel alright just by being here next to me."
Erika hums: "I guess so, I mean I don't exactly mind waking up like this. You're softer than your gear makes you look."
Nesseth blushes a little under his scales. "Heh, well... the armor is to protect the softness. It does make snuggling a bit hard, though."
Erika nods sagely then leans her head upon Nesseth's: "Well, yeah. Who would want to snuggle a piece of armor, anyway?"
Nesseth grins a bit and wiggles his frills a little. "It's nice to have something to hug, but there are plenty of things far more enjoyable..." He smirks, "Like a certain okapi, for example."
Erika giggles and licks Nesseth's frills: "Now who might this okapi be? Tell me more, oh handsome lieutenant. I must know."
Nesseth wiggles a little, the lick tickling his frills. "Hehe... well, let's see... she's taller than me, and very pretty. I think she has a bit of Giraffe blood mixed in, because she has a cute pair of ossicones on her head that are kind of ticklish."
Erika lifts her head up enough to look at Nesseth in the eyes: "Sounds awfully specific. You must be pretty close to this okapi." She then grins a bit: "Mm. She sounds lucky to be able to hug you."
Nesseth holds Erika's gaze with a smile. "Oh, I'm pretty close to the okapi, for sure, though I think I count myself very lucky to be able to hug her."
Erika smirks: "Well, you are one lucky lizard, that's for sure. Our hero~."
Nesseth hums quietly, the proclamation of him being a hero causing him to get a bit more humble in bearing for a few moments, before he looks back up at Erika with a smile. "Lucky enough, I think, to have someone as wonderful as you in my life, Erika."
Erika reaches with her hand to give Nesseth's snout a poke with a finger: "Lucky hero, then. Because I think you indeed do have me in your life now, and there is no escape."
Nesseth 's eyes cross a bit as he tracks Erika's finger, only to chuckle at the poke. "Well... that would only be a bad thing if I wanted to escape." He grins again as his eyes track up from Erika's finger back to her face, "And I'm pretty sure I don't, ever."
Erika grins, giving Nesseth's nose another light poke: "Well good. Cause right now, you are under me and completely at my will! ...well, at least unless you want me off. Or breakfast time comes."
Nesseth shakes his head a bit, his nose shifting under Erika's finger as his head moves. "Nah... you look comfortable there, and it's still... uh..." He blinks and tries to look to the side, towards the curtained window near the bed, "...I guess... really, really late at night? Breakfast probably isn't for another some hours, still..."
Erika gives Nesseth's cheek a lick: "Shame, that. Whatever shall we do to pass the time, then?"
Nesseth tilts his head a little at the lick, a quiet laugh coming from him as he goes to return the lick. "Hmm... a good question, that." He grins, "You're a font of ideas, Erika. Any thoughts on what we should do?"
Erika gives Nesseth a kiss as she shifts herself more on top of Nesseth: "Well, not marshmallows."
Nesseth hums into the kiss, then reaches up and teasingly tickles under Erika's chin for a moment while she shifts about. "Maybe not marshmallows, but apparently something just as sweet."
Erika giggles: "Well, we just gotta take what we can, right? If it's sweet you want, I can be that. At least, I'm pretty sure."
Nesseth slides his hands down along Erika's sides and spends a few seconds just teasingly tickling her a bit for fun. "You're plenty sweet already, Erika, and it's a good thing I like sweets."
Erika giggles and squirms at the tickling: "W-well, as long as you don't mind things getting saucy as well~."
Nesseth laughs a little as he eases up on the tickles a bit, but not completely. "Oh, saucy is good, too, so if you want to go saucy, feel free to pile it on~"
Erika squishes the tickling hands somewhat under her body: "Mmm... hot sauce. I like hot. And sauce."
Nesseth laughs a bit as his hands are immobilized, and he grins up at Erika as he leans in for another kiss as a tasteful curtain surrounds the bed. "Hot and sauce are good, and we've got plenty right here~"