A Day In The Sun {Jenn}

[~*Nyx*~]

Soft light shined through the branches of the willow tree where she slept, trying to ignore the sounds of the park around her. It didn't work for long. She released a deep sigh and rolled to her feet, stretching her body in a very feline way to work the kinks out of her still tired limbs. Once she was satisfied that she could move, the pale green female stepped out of the shade and into the bright mid-day sun.

There were humans about, but that was normal for this time of day. She stopped to watch a pair of small children playing a ways off, looking and seeing their parents not for off. She bowed her head and continued on, wondering if she could find a little fun and excitement this time of day. She doubted it, usually the excitement came after dark when the Euclides came out and she could sit and watch her fellow Amuni try to tear them apart. The fighting was one of her favorite things to watch late at night, not that she ever participated, she was more of a lover than a fighter.

She continued through the park, soft paws barely disturbing the blades of grass as she passed over them. Outside the hedge maze she stopped, head canted to the side for a moment before a smile crossed her muzzle. Maybe she could find some fun in the maze, give the humans a bit of excitement when she jumped out from around the corners, not that they had anything to fear from her, it was all fun and games.

[Jenn]

On the roof of a small shed to the side of the hedge-maze, Tabia lay stretched out, soaking up the glorious sunlight of a mostly cloudless spring afternoon. The gardeners and groundskeepers who cared for the park stored their tools in the shed, but it made a handy perch in a pinch. Even better, its top was only slightly sloped, allowing her to sprawl and spread her large wings wide across its surface. Pink spanned their webbed width, broken by dark, elegant mosaic markings in swirls and spots along the ridge of bone. The patterning traveled up her 'arms', to the back of her neck, and swept down from her soft gray eyes. Anyone with an eye for chirpotae would mark her as a lovely specimen.

The soft 'clink' of her beads against the rooftop woke her from a half-doze, eyes opening foolishly before quickly snapping shut again, burning. The only disadvantage of sunning herself was that - the sun. It pained her eyes and left her squinting in especially bright light. She far preferred to leave them closed and work by sound during the daylight hours, not a difficult task for one of her breed.

Fully awake now, she reveled in the heat and listened to the humans enjoy themselves in the park. Children ran through the maze, their laughter audible from anywhere in the park, especially from her perch so near. She idly moved and turned herself over, exposing her back to the warmth from above and tilting her ears to catch the sounds of their laughter more clearly.

She also hear something else, something closer. The sound barely registered, and indeed, wouldn't have if she wasn't a chiroptae. It sounded like the footsteps of a quadruped. She let out a brief call, inaudible to most ears, and received the echo for a clearer picture. Canine, that was certain, and the build was light enough to lend itself to a female. Far too large to be a simple dog, which left one of two options. With a day as bright as this one, she had her doubts as to the first, and wouldn't have cared even if they were proven wrong. "Hello from above," she called down lazily, ears twitching to catch any hint of a sound.

[~*Nyx*~]

Nautbi' hadn't made it far into the maze when she heard a rustling and a soft voice. She sat, eyes scanning the area around here, not seeing anything of interest. Where could the voice have come from. She lifted her head to sniff the air, the elegant markings on her body blending into the hedges, making her look almost like a statue wrapped in soft vines. Her large ears twitched, swivling on her head trying to pick up the direction that the voice had come from. Of course she couldn't find it, she really wasn't looking in the right direction.

She could tell that the voice was more than likely female, far to soft to have been a male, and more than likely not human. She caught a faint scent in the air. . .ah it was another Amuni, that was something she could deal with. She stood back on all fours, her head lifting so her eyes could scan the top of the maze, still not seeing the source of the voice. Well, it had said from above hadn't it? "And a hello from the ground as well. Would you mind terribly stepping out so that I can see what that sweet voice has come from?" She was her usual charming self, she had been told that she could very well charm an Euclides into a death trap should the need arise, just from the sultry sound of her voice.

[Jenn]

With a quiet yawn, the heat from the sun still leaving her drowsy, Tabia scooted herself to the edge of the roof and suddenly dropped, hanging from the edge with her two clawed feet. They gripped tightly, allowing her to raise her wings as a shield and open her eyes in the shade, taking a moment to focus on the green figure several feet in front of her. The tips of her large pink ears were maybe a foot above the ground as she swayed gently with the breeze. Another Amuni, and wasn't that fun. She wondered if this would be one of the self-righteous preaching prats she'd have to fly away from to free herself from their incessant squawking. Hopefully not.

"No steps necessary, lovely," she said from behind the other female, voice still languid and soft. She never liked to speak loudly if she could help it, and lazy, flowery introductions were always fun. "And aren't you the pretty thing. My name is Tabia, which matters less than yours now that it's known. Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

Directly after she asked the question, a small human boy burst through the entrance to the maze near them with a shriek of laughter and ran by, a miniature pack of others on his heels. A laugh was startled out of her at the sight and she closed her eyes, reaching out a wing to startle him as he ran past. With a surprised squeak, he tried to come to a full stop, only managing to trip himself up and send himself sprawling into her wing. She used it to catch him, the more resilient 'arm' part of her wing supporting the impact, and laughed long and loud when his friends all pounced him.

[~*Nyx*~]

Nautbi' hadn't been far from the shed and was rather startled when the femme dropped to hang on the ledge. She scooted back a bit, her hear racing in her chest. Large ers fell against the back of her skull, one paw lifting off of the ground preparing for flight. It didn't last long. She regained her composure almost as quickly as she lost it, her body settling into a more relaxed pose, a soft smile spreading across her muzzle.

"Ah, glad you could drop in as they say." Oh the bad pun, she couldn't resist it though. She let her eyes roam over the Secret's form, following the swirling patterns running the length of her arms. She had a weakness for pretty things, and she had always found Secret's rather pretty. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Tabia. My name is Nautbi'shindersi, but I am most often called Nautbi'." She bowed, bending her forelegs and dipping her head gracfully before straightening in time to hear the shrieks of laughter.

Her eyes moved to the group of children racing though the maze the leader running smack dab into Tabia's wing. She dipped her head, trying to hide a chuckle, but failed miserably, joining in the laughing chorus.

[Jenn]

Laughter dying down, Tabia righted the boy and motioned him on with a brief 'shooing' motion from her wings. He gave her a wide-eyed nod before running out into the park's field, his friends watching her a moment before resuming the chase. Others in the field watched them run by curiously, some people flying kites and others just enjoying the beautiful day. "So cute," she murmured, watching them run off. "And such easy prey. Silly things, they should stay in their parents' sights. At least it's not evening."

With a yawn, she continued to sway on her perch. Murder was something she preferred to stay far away from, whether Euclide or Amuni did the actual killing. Nasty business, all of it. She wondered idly if the female in front of her was another of those 'crusader-types' that seemed to be everywhere these days. Apparently they'd been organized by a Pope, so now they roamed the streets even more frequently than before. It annoyed her, having to avoid both the man-eaters and her own kind for a little peace and quiet. She didn't see an unusual amount of muscle on Nautbi', but that meant nothing, especially with the lightly built felines and canines.

Enough of those thoughts. She rustled her wings and curled up, hooking the edge of the roof so that her feet could release and she could drop to the ground with only a bit of ungainliness. Having two legs made land-travel inconvenient. "So, what were you up to on a gorgeous day like today that drew you out?"

((Sorry for the crap, I have to run to a final.))

[~*Nyx*~]

Nautbi' settled down on her haunches, watching the children scamper off to continue thier little game. She tsked as she turned her attention back to Tabia. "Yes, easy prey indeed. Poor dears just don't realize the danger." She watched as the other dropped from her perch and landed before her. A pretty thing indeed, one that would more than likely hold her attention for some time to come.

"I think it was just the sun. It seemed so warm and inviting so I thought I would venture out and see if I could meet any new faces. I don't get the chance very often." She chuckled a bit, righting her head to look around the maze once more. "Also the draw of excitment called to me, but I think it is a bit to early for anything like that. What about you? What brings you out today?"

[Jenn]

Tabia stretched out a wing-sail to its fullest, shifting it to soak up sunlight while she talked. ”The sun was a large part of it for me too,” she agreed. ”It’s been so rainy all week that I haven’t been able to get out and fly without soaking myself through. I’ve had enough of that for one week. I can almost feel the cold slipping out now that I’ve baked for a little while. Anyway, I deserve a break after how hard I worked earlier in the week.”

As if to punctuate her point, she yawned. Yes, this week’s searching had been quite taxing. Her wing-muscles ached just thinking about all the flying she’d done over the course of just a few days. Quite enough to earn herself a day in the sun.

”And you…what keeps you from enjoying glorious days like this one, that it’s a rare thing to enjoy? A Church? A mate? Children nipping at your ankles?”

[~*Nyx*~]

Nautbi' smiled as she listened, stretching out on her belly, legs crossed out in front of her. In responce to Tabia's yawn, she let out a small one as well, then nearly choked on it at her questions. "Oh, no, nothing like that. No ankle biters or a mate, and no church either. I tend to spend my time in hiding. I am not what you would call 'church material' with all the fanatics running around anymore. They don't like my ways and think I should be punished for it." She rolled her eyes in disgust. She had no patience for people like that.

"What kind of work is it that you have been doing to have tired you out so much? Chasing the dreaded Euclides?"

[Jenn]

Laughing with delight, Tabia shook her head and smiled. “Not at all, my friend – may I call you my friend? The Euclide are a plague on the humans, but so is pestilence, and you don’t see many of our brethren going out with medicine to help the sick, do you? No, others can deal with that problem quite handily. I’m not going out looking for trouble that isn’t looking for me.”

“I was out surveying the city for any conveniently abandoned churches that haven’t been claimed by others. I’m looking to set myself up somewhere comfortable at the moment, somewhere with nice high rafters and maybe an attic to roost in. Then I’ll see about finding others of a like mindset.” She shot Nautbi a sideways glance, appraising the canine female. Such a pretty thing, and not inclined towards the ‘grand crusade’ so many others delighted in. “Would you care to see what I’ve found so far? I’d love another’s opinion.”

[~*Nyx*~]

Nautbi' smiled, starting to relax a bit. She had had more than enough of the ones that come and preach and poke and demean just because she isn't like them. There were more interesting things to do than try to iradicate the Euclides. Not that she liked them in any way, shape or form, she just didn't see much point in spending every waking moment trying to figure out how to wipe them off of the face of the Earth.

"Well, that does sound interesting. Though, as I have said, I am not really church material, but then again, I see a kindred spirit in you as they say. Sure. Let's have a look at what you have found, you have peak my interest, pretty one." She rose, stretching with a loud yawn and soft pop of her back. "Lead the way and I will follow."

[Jenn]

Pleased by the flattery, Tabia nodded and began to climb the small shack as she had before, eyes tightly closed once again in the brilliant sunlight that poured down on them. “You should be able to see me from the ground, but if you can’t, just give a shout and I’ll swoop back around. Don’t worry about not being heart.” The chiroptae tapped one large ear with a wing-claw and grinned.

She launched herself from the rooftop, no more words being needed, and took off towards the edge of the park. From there, the route took several minutes as she flapped her wings heartily to stay aloft. Hearing no shouts, she assumed the canine followed her bright lavender form well enough.

After seven or eight minutes of travel, she reached the boarded-up entrance to a tall, narrow building crammed in between two others. It was obviously abandoned, wood nailed over all the windows and bits of roofing scattered across the sidewalk in front of it. Still, it was the most suitable building she’d yet found. Now she was left with the dilemma of how to show Nautbi the interior. She used a hole in the roof to enter, but that wouldn’t work for her companion.

[~*Nyx*~]

Nautbi' followed, alternating her gaze to the air and ahead of her so that she didn't loose Tabia or run into any one in her dash to keep up. She was rather glad that it didn't take long for them to reach thier destination, she wasn't in the best shape, prefering to lounge around all day and look pretty to anything that made her pant.

She took a few moments to catch her breath once they reached the boarded up building. Nautbi' nosed around the base, looking for a hint of air from inside that would alert her to a place where she could get in. "Doesn't seem like I am going to have much luck getting in. Gonna have to hunt for an entrance, since I just don't think I will be able to climb to get in at a higher point."

[Jenn]

"Hmm," Tabia murmured thoughtfully, examining the front of the building, which looked boarded up tight. "I'll admit, I hadn't counted on this. What if...hold on. Try to hear my voice."

The lavender chiroptae began to climb the side of the building, needing a bit of height before pushing herself away and flapping furiously. She went up, over the edge and above the roof, before diving through the handy hole in the shingles and going down through another hole in the attic, eventually landing in the main hall of the church. Dust motes floated freely in the air, rising up in a cloud where she landed as if to consume her. This place had not seen use for many years. She had always wondered why humans were so quick to simply abandon their buildings when times grew hard. Ah, well. Silly creatures.

She walked to the boarded up door and began to look for places where the light shone in more brightly. "Hello? Nautbi?" She called out, hoping the female would hear a better spot to come in through her voice. She wasn't sure if it would work, but if it didn't, she would have to descend into the basement and look for something there.

[~*Nyx*~]

Craning her neck to watch as Tabia flew up and almost over the building before diving into the attic. she couldn't help but wonder how the other had found the hole in the first place. Than again, since she could fly that probably made it a whole lot easier. She waited for a few minutes, listening to the soft thuds of her decent, pacing a bit in front of the building since she wasn't sure where the chiroptae would be calling her from.

After a few long moments, Nautbi' heard a faint voice calling to her from near the front door. She moved quickly, nosing at the area to see if she could maybe find a loose board or something of that nature. "I can hear you, but not very clearly." She nudged at a few boards, finding one that was a bit loose but wasn't having much luck pulling it free.