It's Pronounced "Tiefling" - OTA

[st_affofthemoon]

Zahra needed to get a lay of the land now that she had arrived and things seemed to have calmed down a little. She was sure leaving the room would worry Kash, but she had only ventured out a few times briefly and now it felt right. She had filled him in on everything that she knew happened back home, spent many days enjoying the marvel of hot baths on demand, and discovered what a 'TV' was and tried to get some idea of what this plane was like. Now it was time to experience it for herself.

Zahra did not hide what she was. The red-skinned Tiefling wore a grey dress with a hole cut and sewn to allow her tail freedom of movement behind her. She decided to leave her staff behind, but she had done so after a lot of thought. The humans here didn't need to see her walking around with a weapon, but she felt naked and vulnerable. Kash said they were safe and so she would lean on those words as she navigated the inn weaponless.

She found the pool, crouching down by the water and feeling the cool water against her fingers. She could smell something from the water that told her the water wasn't entirely pure. It took her some time to figure out it was a place to bathe or swim, like a lake in the middle of the forest. She did take note of the heated part of the pool.

Her next step was through the lobby to the bar. Taverns looked similar no matter what plane of existence you were on, it seemed. She felt her stomach growl and after a moment found her way to the restaurant. She ordered the chicken because it reminded her of Scanlan.


After her meal she found her way to the library. There were not as many books as there was in Whitestone or even the Slayer's Take, but there were many. She started to peruse.

Her last stop was to Vex's room. She knocked and waited patiently.

(ooc: Find her anywhere. She has white eyes with no pupil or iris and horns on her head.)

Comments

[st_igmatized]

"You must be Zahra," Sunny said as she came up behind the woman kneeling by the pool. She suspected when she saw the red tail, but it was when she saw the reflection of the woman's face in the water that she recognized the face Lillith had shown her in illusion. "Your cousin told me about you."

[st_affofthemoon]

Zahra looked up at the voice and then stood, turning around to face the woman. This was one of Lillith's friends, that much was obvious, and it was nice to have a human come up without much reservation too. She offered the woman a smile and it took her a moment to place her name. An almost British sounding voice pressed from the Tiefling, though it was muddied with something else. "Sunny, is it?" She hoped she got the right name. Lillith had mentioned her most. It was rare to meet someone who was albino, after all.

[st_igmatized]

The accent was interesting, and Sunny found herself trying to place it despite knowing she wouldn't. In London she'd met many people who weren't locals but had been there long enough to make a mark on how they spoke. It was most interesting among the other Nigerians she'd met in the city.

"That's right," she confirmed. "I suppose the being paper white thing makes it a bit obvious."

[st_affofthemoon]

She grinned. "One of the first things she did tell me in her excitement was there was someone else like her here. For our kind, she is quite rare, but I imagine it's the same even for humans."

For Lillith it would have been the closest thing to familiarity here and so Zahra was grateful for that. Her cousin had a hard enough time back home. She deserved a place like this to feel like she belonged.

"She spoke very highly of you and her friends here."

[st_oriedqueen]

Kashaw's woman would've been hard to miss without the horns, red skin, tail and claws that marked her other than human, Regina observed when she stepped out of her office to get lunch. She had the same kind of presence that Mal did. If she was there, you had to see her.

Regina didn't delude herself that she had the same charisma. She could terrify, she could mystify and captivate, but she didn't immediately grab your attention if she wasn't trying. Maybe she ought to hate this woman for it right away, but she also knew that True Love had a magic all its own. When people had it, they were beacons.

Enough people would have issues with her looking like a Judaeo-Christian demon that Regina made the deliberate decision not to let herself be bitter about whatever made this woman so appealing and give her a chance. She did, however, make a particular point to pull herself into her most queenly posture and ensure that her short sweater dress lay straight beneath her blazer and her tall boots were even, that her makeup was perfect and her gaze smoldered when she approached.

It wasn't hard to smolder. Like Bo, this one would clearly have been her type under different circumstances. "I'm glad you found something comfortable to wear quickly. Vax's attraction to his armor notwithstanding, it doesn't look comfortable," she said as she took a seat beside her. "Regina Mills."

[st_affofthemoon]

When she turned, everything about Regina was noted almost immediately. This was not a meek woman nor a woman to underestimate. This was a woman who felt she had power. Zahra wondered if she did and if so, how much.

She had to smile a little at the mention of Vax and his armour. "If I were to be honest, I would say I'd feel better in mine, but I thought looking less like I'm about to storm this place would be better for everyone involved. Humans back home are not generally fond of my kind, but they are at least aware of what I am." Plus she needed to wash them. There was still a lot of blood on it all. "Zahra. Though I suspect you already knew that."

[st_oriedqueen]

"A smart choice and a considerate one. Thank you." There was nothing ironic, sarcastic or even condescending in her gratitude, which surprised even her. But it shouldn't have. Regina had grown to care about the people in this in, and a woman with this much appeal striding about in armor could easily cause a small panic.

"Enough of us have magic or have met other non-humans that I would be surprised if you encountered much outright hostility. May I ask... you're not by any chance a dragon?"

[st_affofthemoon]

The expression on her face was somewhere in between amusement and defensiveness. "No. Dragons are not nearly as charming as me nor as couth." She tried not to feel as insulted as she normally would have at the suggestion because she was in a new place with people who had never dealt with her kind before, but it was hard not to think about Raishan and want to spit on the ground.

[st_eelremains]

Upon locating the library, Geralt had discovered that his ability to understand the language spoken here extended to the written, as well... mostly. There were definitely words and even phrases that made no sense at all in Common, but at least some could be puzzled out by context. He was half-sprawled in a chair, obscured by one of the shelves, when the red-skinned woman entered. He heard her, however, and leaned back a little to get a look at who had entered the room. Cat-pupilled amber eyes widened slightly as he got a good look at her. At first he thought perhaps she was a succubus with unusual coloring, but... no.

[st_affofthemoon]

Zahra felt eyes on her, and not for the first time today. Many people did not approach her, but she didn't hold it against her. She knew she was a sight for some people. Her tail swished for a second before she turned and offered a smile to the man staring at her. "Yes, it's true. They are real." She teased with a smile, leaving it purposefully vague.

[st_eelremains]

"I've met women who looked not unlike you before," Geralt said with a brief, weary (if not insincere) flicker of a smile. "Although given that you don't seem to be pumping out pheremones, I'll assume it's just a surface similarity."

[st_affofthemoon]

Her head tilted at bit at the comment of pheromones. Zahra wondered what creature he could be thinking about. There were a few, actually.

"I also apparently look like a devil to many of the humans here who know a faith called Christianity." That was about as far as she knew. She had fought devils and while they might both be red, they looked nothing alike. She didn't even have wings!

"You must be from a world similar to mine, then, if you have some knowledge of beings that look like me."

[st_eampunk]

Molly had learned of Zahra's arrival when it had happened. How could you have missed it? What she hadn't learned until Kash had come to share the news, was that this was his soulmate. Of course the universe brought her to a place where Molly couldn't escape it. That had been her initial reaction, none of which anyone one knew or could sense. After a day of a pity party, Molly was genuinely happy for Kash. She had always been genuinely happy for him, just sad for herself, since the odds were pretty good true love wasn't in the cards for her.

When Molly came out from the side of the pool and unexpectedly caught sight of her, she did a stupid childish thing and ducked back behind the wall before she could be seen. "Suck it up, buttercup." Molly muttered to herself and straightened her spine and stepped back around the wall. If she could deal with Harry and his true love in the hotel she sure as shit could deal with Kash's.

Since she really didn't want to feel what Zahra was feeling, she bolstered her empathic shields until it was as close to blank as Molly could get around others. A smile was plastered in place and surprisingly enough, it was genuine and welcoming, just a little strained around the edges.

"Hi. Thinking about taking a swim?"

[st_affofthemoon]

"Hello." She stood, smiling to the woman in front of her pleasantly. "I've only just arrived so I'm just trying to get a sense of everything. There's a lot of new things to this world that are much different back home. This, for one." She gestured to the pool. "We usually use lakes to swim in."

[st_eampunk]

"Lakes are nice. My family used to go to Lake Michigan back home, but I have to admit, I like pools better." Molly debated for half a second and then introduced herself. "I'm Molly and welcome to the Inn."

[st_ealthless]

After finishing up in the bakery for the day, Pike walked out into the cafe and saw Zahra enjoying a meal on her own. That just wouldn't do. She made her way over while brushing some hair from her face, "Would you like some company?"

[st_affofthemoon]

Zahra's smile was wide when she saw Pike. "I would. I could always use good conversation and I know you've got that in spades." And it worked out because Zahra had planned to try to find her as well.

[st_ealthless]

“Oh, well, okay. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’ll certainly try.” She wasn’t the conversationalists that the twins of Percy were, but this woman loved Kashew so she can’t be bothered by less than loquacious people. “Are you settling in alright? Has Kash been showing you around? I’m honestly surprised he’s not hovering a few feet behind you at all times.”

[st_ubby]

There was no answer to Zahra's knock, but the gods must have been looking out for them, as Vex came up the walkway to see Zahra standing at her door. And without Kash in tail's reach.

"Hello, beautiful. Did you lose something, or simply wear dear Cashew out completely?" Vex pulled her key card from where she'd kept it tucked in her bra – a garment she still wasn't convinced wasn't meant as a torture device, but they were so pretty and did wonderful things for her tits, so she'd taken to wearing them anyway – and reached around Zahra to open the door. "Come in, come in," she urged, letting Trinket out of the necklace as soon as she was in the room.

[st_affofthemoon]

Zahra grinned. "He has some things he need to do, much like I do." She entered, eyes gazing around the room. It was true that all the rooms were very... unique. She offered her hand to Trinket before moving to scratch his head. "I think he's stopped thinking I'm going to disappear at any moment now." Or mostly, it seemed.

[st_ubby]

She remembered how hard it had been to let Vax out of her sight when she first arrived, and he'd needed to assure himself she was there and not disappearing even more. Luckily both their rooms had two beds, and Percy was more understanding than she deserved about the bond she shared with her twin. "It's still likely to sneak up on him at times for a while longer. I wouldn't be surprised if he still kept Sending ready so he can hear you're here when he needs to.

"It's good to have time apart, though. If only for the look in his eyes when you walk into the room." The mischievous twinkle in Vex's warm eyes said as well as words the effect didn't diminish with time, as evidenced by Percy.

After everyone

[st_ingofthehundred]

Completely shut down, Kash did what he'd done for the last eight and a half months when he hurt. Mind blank, he lumbered out into the emptiness to nurse his sucking chest wound.

He'd made it out to the scrub when he heard a familiarly heavy tread behind him. The bear pushed his snout against Kash's tight-curled fist and Kash's vision blurred again. He forced his hand open and hooked it beneath an edge of Trinket's armor. The hard, nearly impenetrable Bullette armor was more comfort than the thick fur against his knuckles. Not much, but more.

He kept moving until he was out of sight of the Inn, and even further, finally stopping when he was too heavy to go on. Then he sank down to sit with his back against a boulder and Trinket posted like a sentinel at his side.

Wouldn't be hard to make sure his words didn't repeat today, he thought thickly. The Sending spell came to his lips automatically out of habit and the message spilled out without thought. Twenty-four words wasn't enough. It never was. But it was what he had.

I fucked up, Z. So bad. It hurts and I can't heal it. I know you can't answer. But I need you, baby. WYWH. The WYWH was cheating, but he'd said 'wish you were here' so often that it felt like she'd know what it meant. Z always understood him.

"I miss her, buddy," he said to Trinket. Sometimes he thought the bear was the only one who really got it. He was as devoted to Vex as he was to--

Trinket grunted something that sounded suspiciously like Whuh? and abruptly Kash realized what he'd done. Too late, though. The Sending was done.

Re: After everyone

[st_affofthemoon]

Zahra felt the sending. Her eyes closed. She could almost feel his aching.

"Where are you, my love?" She sent it back after getting his. There were so many places she did not yet know here at the Inn.

Re: After everyone

[st_ingofthehundred]

After eight and a half months of getting no answer, even knowing it was coming, hearing her voice in his head pricked him to tears again. He stood and looked down at Trinket. "Yeah, I know. I'm an idiot. You wouldn't have forgotten."

Giving the bear a good scratch behind the ear (and already feeling lighter for remembering he could just go to Zahra), he prepared another Sending. On my way to you. Where? He thought he was finished, but fortunately the spell didn't wrap because he thought he was done. Didn't mean to scare you, baby. Thanks for answering.