Arrival, Part 1

Fate

Through cloudy gray skies poke Angel's rays to light the rainfall for brief intervals. Bakersfield's walls sit as high as ever—higher even, perhaps, now that their immensity dwarfs even the most fully-grown and tallest of their small group—some haze gathering at the top. From some distance off the drums' pounding could be heard, thumping under the ribs, rolling up and over their hearts.

As Aaren, Daina, Kelly, Frankie (sliding beneath the cart), and Chauncy make their way to the main road, more and more people collect, forming a trickle, then a stream, then a brook, then a river, growing into a flood. Music, chatting, laughter, shouting... the scents of joy and fear and sorrow and anger... and...

Kelly doesn't sit on the back of the cart, eyes wide and flicking about this way and that. His expression is neutral, but a hand is white-knuckled around his worry token, a small bone carving wrapped in leather, gifted to him by Adrian Babineaux, a tanner and a close friend of his. Occasionally it comes up to absently rub at the chin hairs instead (which had since been sung off, naturally). He sings his calm focus song to himself, which draws the occasional eye here and there, but otherwise seems to be working. Somewhat.

They draw closer to the gates which only get bigger, and the world around them grows more crowded, noisier, and smellier. Far above the drums rest quiescent, and yet farther rain pours down. They obscure Angel's light entirely now, which has yet to hit its peak.

Aaren

Aaren has dressed up for the occasion. She's seven feet tall, flesh stretched tight across thick bones and muscle thin and taught like fine-spun wire.
Her skin is deep purple, with darker purple in a pattern of flowers and leaves sliding under her skin. She has no body hair (of course) including a lack of eyebrows over her large, deep set, iridescent eyes.

Butterfly flowers sprout out of her crown, greens, purples, reds. Cyan hair wraps around the base of the plant— thick braids making the crown of a hat whose wide, flat brim extends past Aaren's narrow shoulders.
Noises, bits of wood and bone rattling together, bells and clanking chimes, hang from Aaren's hair-hat brim. They hang from her staff, too (Far too short for her now, carried at her side like a riding crop).Around her neck, a necklace of carved snake fangs, each longer than a finger. They rattle together at her stride, and the sound of her voice seems to whistle around and through them.

The Hometown stripes, in a rainbow of reds, oranges and yellows, are still bright across her chest and legs, even if her clothes are a little small for her at this size. The poncho only comes down to her thighs, her pants are high up her shins, and her rope has been wrapped around her hips to cover the place where the pants were lowered so she wouldn't have an insta wedgie.

As they enter, Aaren sings her own song. Listening. Watching. Confident, as if everything was okay. She sings Kelly's calm song, and Chauncy's. And she sings the heart of the crowd, teaching the crowd about itself, about the way it moves and the things it feels, and how each part of it becomes part of the whole.

Daina

As soon as she'd picked up the sound of the drums Daina had hopped down from the cart. She startled Chauncy a bit and took a second to calm him before beginning a lunging stepping sort of dance with arms drawn in and flinging wide in turn, reminiscent of a Haka. She laughs a bit as the Goabbit sort of begins to step with the rhythm. She hears both Aaren and Kelly singing his calm song as they approach and ads her own voice to the endeavor, changing her dance as well to a more flowing slow calm set of movements, one more in tune with the song and still some how catching the beats of the drums. She has to stop her motions when the crowd gets too dense though and so she springs up from one of the wheels and onto the cart. Still singing and wordlessly offering Kelly a small rolled up cigarette of pot and tobacco if he thinks it might help with his nerves. Her attention moves around the crowd, looking for points of interest in the throng of people and finding many for various reasons. She gives her curls a tussle as she scratches her fingers through her hair and sits restlessly next to Kelly for a bit.. then remembers the space on the roof of the cart. Upwards she goes to the roof and resumes dancing, to much nervous energy and excitement in her at the moment to sit still.. and nothing she had to focus on currently to encourage her to do so anyway.

Fate

Kelly eases considerably with all the help, and then takes the cig from Daina, sings in gratitude, and tucks it behind his ear.

A great deal of eyes follow Aaren, and to a lesser degree Daina, as they enter. A child, no older than 5, stares quite openly, only barely remembering to keep up with the one holding his hand. This person is staring too—well, rather, staring in the trying-not-to-stare fashion. Words are exchanged between them, which become more words, and they quickly get into what sounds like a mild argument. The language is quite unfamiliar, though, and eventually the older child draws them closer to the group they're traveling with, directing the inquisitive-musicked, curious-scented little child towards one of the adults there.

Soon enough, the gates pass them by. Massively tall houses tower high above them, drawing Kelly's wide-eyed stare. Rain patters its plethora of notes and rhythms on the raincatchers, followed by the rush of water traveling to their eventual home. The large avenue opens up wide, easily able to span the length from the river to the Litzes', filled with far more people and market stands with all manner of goods. Food smells drift along on the wet air, in addition to the people-smells and city-smells and the scent of the strange stone that fills this place.

In the midst of this wide plaza is a large fountain, a sculpture of Lake Isabella atop it, her hair artfully melding into the water part of the fountain. It winds down, down, down, where there waits a sculpture of Coyote, forever caught in the act of fleeing.

Slavina

Beyond the gate, at the lip of the fountain: two figures not participating in the hustle and bustle of the crowd. One sits on the tiled rim of the fountain. The other stands at Coyote's paws, looking out towards the gates with the kind of motionlessness one sees in a mouse that has just seen a cat.

She's tall by Bakersfield standards and delicately built. A thick blanket cloak wraps in soft folds around her shoulders, and she's bound at wrist, ankle and crown by the traditional ornaments of a Liudzi woman. No hat keeps the rain off her - raindrops glimmer in a halo of curls and make rivers down her cheeks, her hands. The flow of traffic parts around her without acknowledging her presence, no one except the companion ever getting within arms reach or ever meeting her gaze. Her gaze which is, as fact would have it, firmly planted on the Hometown parade.

She pitches her voice deep and resonant, the even velvety contralto of a trained speaker commanding her stage. "Aaren. Daina." She takes a deep breath. "You took long enough."

Daina

Daina blinks a few times and then calls back "Sonovabitch or a reasonably similar curse in Chlovak We aren't late you are late and in the wrong place!!" Daina springs off the cart and ducks between people and around and under some animals as well. Reaching Slavina she's all smiles, giving hugs unless body langauge expressly prohibits such. "I'm glad to find you alive.. " pausing "you are alive?" she questions as she sort of tries to get a read on the warmth or lack there of. Her eyes narrow as she sniffs around a bit. perception + animal ?

Aaren

Aaren walks up to conversational distance and then stops. "I apologize." She says, politely. "May I ask who you are?" Daina clearly recognizes them. Perhaps a goddess? (But the song isn't right for that.)
She changes her other voices, to sing the crowd away, or at least around. A moment later she finds the strangeness in the crowd song, the ignorance of the two people standing here wafting around them like steam.

Fate

Kelly's singing falters. He stares at Slavina, occasionally flicks a glance to the other one there. He sidles up close to Aaren, slipping into an old song, of an old friend.

The other one is young, somewhere around Daina's or Aaren's age. Just stands, waiting there, between action and inaction, tense awkwardness gathering like a storm. Looking at the massive, musical purple lady, looking at the tiny lady who's sniffing deeply and audibly, looking at the comparatively normal but colorful young man bedecked in exotic jewelry and iridescent tattoos. Looking at the weird creature pulling the weird cart. Looking occasionally to under the cart, when inexplicable dread spurs him to, only for his eyes to slide away in unease.

Slavina

Slavina is palpably unhuggable right now, but she stands patiently still for the.... sniffing.

She gives Aaren a flat look in response to the question. "You should try using your eyeballs sometime. They're there for a reason. Hello, Kelly. It's good to see you again."

Daina

Daina glances to Aaren. "I bet her song is way different.. she smells different after all.. it's Slavina, alive and everything" she smiles and takes a breath. "it's a real releif to see you, even if it's a new you." she pauses and looks at the companion and pauses . "'ey, sticking her hand out. " I'm Diana" she offers, clearly expecting an introduction in kind.

Aaren

Aaren blinks at the rebuke. She's pretty sure this is, in fact, not the same person.
But she resists biting back.
There are two things she's thinking about:
First: This is Slavina's body. Plus a couple extra babies, plus a lot of injuries, a hand full of impossibly deep burns. And totally new skin.
Second: The crowd really isn't noticing her, or her companion.

Aaren shifts her songs, to augment the cloud of ignorance and inattention around them. But she saves three of her voices to explore the new song infront of her, to grow used to it, and find the strangeness in it. For now, she avoids changing anything, and lets the conversation turn to Daina's question.

Fate

Kelly's eyes have since wandered, attention and alertness drawn to too many places at once. Only his calm song is holding back the waiting deluge of overwhelmedness. Even so, he manages an albeit heavily accented Bakersfieldian, "Hello." His voice cracks a bit, at the edges.

The fellow's eyes widen as Daina approaches and offers her hand. "Aahhhh... Janinaitis." His eyes slide to Slavina, still uncertain, as he takes her hand and shakes it.

Slavina

Slavina thinks about Daina's statement for a moment, then nods. "Sure. That's close enough." She looks around the crowd and continues the introductions. "Janinaitis, this is Aaren, Daina, Kelly," she gestures to each in turn, then to the one underneath the cart. "Frankie. I've never met the... goat before."

She takes another deep breath, just a touch ragged around the edges. "Come on, lets go somewhere else. I'm cold and hungry."

Daina

Daina gives a smile to Janinaitis and after the hand shake and introductions she'd tack on "the goabbit is Chauncy" she provides as she shrugs "sure let's find a place that's less.. bustling" she walks next to Kelly and adds her voice to his calm song. She'd follow along with the troupe, if Aaren decides to go along with as Daina expects.

Aaren

Aaren has so many questions. She compromises, and re-routes a voice so she can ask more at once.
To Janiaitis, "Do you want me to fix your cyst and your skin? I can fix your ankles too, but that will take a little longer."
And, to Slavina, quietly "Do you still want to be called Slavina? Would you like me to heal your burns? Did the Tsarbog send you?"
She walks at the front of the procession. It's hard to follow anyone when you're seven feet tall.

Fate

The words don't sink in for a while. Janinaitis stares at Aaren, then realizes he's staring, then works harder on trying to process the words.

Kelly, on the other hand, tries harder to focus. He partially shades his eyes with a hand, gravitates close to either Aaren or Daina, and stretches out his hearing, his spatial awareness. "Ailments." he offers to Janinaitis, seemingly out of nowhere. "Do you want them healed?"

Janinaitis jerks slightly. "Ahhh... what offerings ought I give if I do?"

Slavina

"Aaren accepts the ailments themselves as offerings. Aaren, feel free to heal anything La Dama allows you to. Slavina is my current name." Slavina stalks through the crowd, not having to bother making herself ignored now that she's next to Aaren. Aaren is good at drawing attention. She aims for a place that smells good and is ugly enough the tourists are afraid to stop there.

Slavina, abruptly out of nowhere, asks, "Kelly, do you want me to shut it all out for you?"

Daina

Daina tilts her head a little as the approach the new place.. it smelled nice enough so she can get over the shingles falling off the roof and the lack of a garden.. she pauses a moment feels around for plants that might be trying to grow, wanting to urge them up to make the place prettier.

Aaren

Aaren sings thank you to Slavina, and then that song turns quickly again to Slavina's body. She begins with what would probably be most troublesome: the joint damage.
In response to Slavina's answer to Janinaitis, Aaren says, "Yeah, basically. Although if you want me to remove your overies entierly I'd appreciate that. I haven't had a chance to do that on a human yet."
Aaren notices that Slavina is using her as an attention sheild. She takes the cue and sings the crowd's attention away from the group entierly. She also begins to drop her height back to her more normal six four. It's like watching water ripple under a thin layer of ice. Her bones shrink, and the mass ripples outward. Her muscles thicken, and her bones are no longer visible pressing against her skin.

Fate

It's easy to accept, this explanation of Slavina's. But the rest... It's too much. First the statement. Then, then shrinking. Janinaitis's social graces shut down, leaving only a vague awareness that there are answers waiting on him but not remembering what the questions are. His feet only keep moving because Slavina's taking all of this in stride. Like this is normal.

Kelly considers, calmly, because he is calm. "No thank you. I'm not sure I want to be blind." His other hand, the one not shielding his eyes, rubs at the worry token.

The plants respond quickly to Daina's reaching prod, opening and stiffening and gaining color, throwing off all signs of negligence. (After all, they've just been touched by a god.)

Slavina

Slavina holds the door for everyone else. Then carefully props it back up on its broken hinge. "Janaitais, you hate having ovaries, right? Sounds like a good deal." To Kelly, she says, "Alright. Let me know if you change your mind. Or if you want to be partially blind."

Once they're all inside, she wrings a few cups of water out of her cloak and hangs it on a rusty nail by the least leaky wall. She makes her way up to the counter, subtley shifting her demeanor and stance to be less.... blank. More friendly. Chats a bit with the greasy, glowering cook behind the counter. After a minute of chatter, she says, "That smells good. I'd like some, but I can't pay."
Influence Charisma to get free food for the gang?

Fate

Sure! Roll away!

Slavina

((5! Boooooooo)

Fate

"Yes. Right." It was an answer, therefore it was sufficient. Janinaitis eases, but then some more uneasiness creeps in. There's something missing... Oh. "Please."

Kelly hums his gratefulness to Slavina.

The cook sniffs sharply. Noisily clears her throat. Then she scratches at her face, uneasy, hesitant. Eventually she says, "Well..." Her eyes flick to the Swan Maiden's altar. "Sure. Just... um... leave some skittles, if you got any." She nods toward it, before moving deeper into the kitchen to get some dishware and utensils.

Daina

Daina picks up on the alter and then smiles some as she hears the suggestion of skittles. She tries to be discrete as she starts to put the plants to work. Some forming into their own root laced hanging baskets and others sprouting from say the unused corners of the room, drawing in excess moisture. She'd pause a moment as she searches her bag of seeds and finds a climbing vine to help with the door problem. still basic enough for a no roll or sneak/fertility maybe?

Fate

Depends on the goal. If she wants to do it all sneaky-like, then yes she'd have to roll [Fertility + Sneak].

Daina

yeah I feel like sneaky would be best since it seems we're trying not to draw much attention, but Daina still wants to do the thing

Fate

Okay! Then go ahead and roll!
The plants crawl slowly and quietly up the walls or along the cracks or down from the ceiling, as bid by Daina. So far no one seems to have noticed...

Aaren

Aaren notices Janinaitis shut down (finally) and responds immediately. "Oh, sorry." She says, and stops transforming her shape. She also quiets and, after he responds, says, "Alright. I'm going to start by calming you down, okay?" She waits only a breath, at most, for his response before shifting the voice that was investigating him into a calm song. Simultaneously, she begins healing him, starting with the cyst. They'll talk more about ovaries later.

Aaren sings a song of thanks to Kelly and Slavina for helping with the Janinaitis panic, and continues to help Kelly stay calm and heal Slavina. (She also begins listening to the songs of the cook and the other patrons. She'll do them in a bit.)

Fate

Janinaitis calms, audibly first of course and then visibly. Then, comfortable enough, he takes a seat.

It's about this time that the cook returns. She sets the bowls of food down along with worn spoons, eyes lingering on and straying back to Aaren from time to time. But she says nothing, 'cause it's nunya. The food is nice and hot, and smells and tastes quite delicious even if its color is varying hues of gray and its texture appears unpleasantly homogeneous. (It isn't, but it looks like it would be.)

When she does speak, it's to say, "You can sit, y'know. The chairs and tables work pretty good."

Kelly does so, quicker on the uptake. It's easier to focus now that he's inside a building, his view of the rest of the city mercifully blocked for the time being. Then he tucks into his food.

... And begins to regret it as the spices kick in shortly thereafter.

Slavina

"Thanks." Slavina says. She takes the chair in the corner - the one that's missing a leg, which is probably why it's crammed up against the wall. She shoves a few spoonfuls of... chille relleno? into her mouth. Once she's finished enough of the meal that Janin won't bug her, she pushes the bowl off to the side and sets down a small shiny object in its place.

It's a mirror, on top of some kind of polished wood base with gold inlay. Slavina breathes on the surface until it fogs, and turns it to face Aaren and Daina. Parts of the glass remain unmisted, forming an inscription that reads:

"They know.
Love,
Bozena"

Daina

Was about to take a bite of food when she notices Kelly's face. A slight grimace as she slides it over to Aaren. A silent request to sing it less spicy. She glances at the mirror like object and her brows arch a bit. "Is that where you've been? With them?" she questions as she tugs some dried food out of her sash and chews on the small morsels, offering a handful over to Kelly.

Aaren

Aaren is singing Daina's food less spicy even before she manages to sit. She also starts singing the cooks' back a little less sore. And asking Kelly, "Did you want me to make it not hurt? It's supposed to, they like the taste of it here." She also eases back on his calm song, since things are quieter her.
Aaren sits, makes Slavina hungry, and listens to the mirror.
She watches the glass, watches the mist, and then smiles. "Sweet! Any idea what we're supposed to do next then?"

Daina

Daina gets to eating once the food doesn't smell so spicetastic.

Fate

Kelly rubs the tears from his eyes, staring at the mirror for a bit. But he's paying attention now. He hums a brief polite decline to Daina first, then Aaren, and sets at the food at a much slower pace.

Janinaitis, on the other hand, seems pretty okay with it. He eyes the group as a whole for a bit as the mirror is revealed to them. Reaches a little, just a little, waiting for secrets to come up like curious or hungry millionfish.

And then he draws back primly when a leviathan slides just under his senses. He focuses mostly on his food, then.

Slavina

Slavina pauses for a moment, frowns. "You're doing that, right Aaren? Ask next time. I'm supposed to be learning that I get to make those kinds of decisions." She does start eating again though. When she's finished chewing, she says, "No. I haven't seen the Tsarbog in years. And no, I have no idea. The 'next step' was meeting you. I have to do some more investigation."

Daina

Daina is a bit disapointed and then.. frowns a little at the implication of 'learning I get to make those kinds of decisions.' she shakes off the questions that flood her mind and instead quietly eats and observes. Energy reaching out to guide the plants to continue growing, she searches for any garden that might be used to make food stuffs by the cook and gives it a bump. "So.. we're all in the same spot and searching then?"