Everything was very large. And she was kind of cold. Maybe a little hungry. But this wasn't the condition that was foremost on Zea's mind. Neither, in fact, was the condition everyone else noticed first. The voices were gone for the most part, and if that meant she had to be a cat for a while, it was a small price to pay. Zea would never expect anyone else to understand what would lead to such a preference, but anyone inside her head during the times when an incalculable number of dead people were all trying to get her attention at once would never ask for clarification again.
So she was a kitten. She blinked, eyes taking in levels of detail that were a bit confusing given the dimmer colors. Her ears were moving on their own, taking in the sounds of conversation from the others. Zea pulled a paw over her ear idly and listened until she heard Cerene and Keros mention James. She stood and made her way to where James was lying. It was hardly a moment for propriety, so she walked boldly to the side of his face and sniffed the place just under his ear. She hadn't noticed his smell before, but now she could definitely tell that he was a demon.
Odd. I must have been aware of it on some level before, but now it's completely obvious. It's amazing that I wasn't driven to distraction by all the smells. They've been right here all the time.
Zea wasn't necessarily
worried about James. His death was neither disturbing nor any more interesting than anyone else's. It was just kind of disappointing. She'd rather liked him. He was a cocky jerk and kind of a prick to everyone else, but to Zea he was just this guy who was interested in her work.
She hoped that they would find a way to bring him back. To be honest, she'd like it if he came back, and it was also a ceremony in which she was keenly interested. It wasn't the sort of thing she'd ever be able to accomplish, but to see in a ritual the tangible loosening of the bonds of death over a sentient creature was of some spiritual value to the necromancer. After all, if Death were truly in control, no resurrection ceremony could be performed without at least some passive endorsement from Reshtaha. James would certainly never be revived against the will of the god of death any more than he could be resurrected against his own will.
When Cerene and Keros mentioned her in conversation, she looked up at them briefly. As far as she was concerned, she was not the one with a problem here. The body of the young feline seemed to react automatically to Zea's emotions, flattening her ears back and widening her eyes. Zea was surprised to feel some sense of affront on James' behalf that her condition was somehow worth distracting them from more important matters at hand.
I think they need to be reminded of the first problem that needs to be solved. Being a kitten is inconvenient, but I'm not in pain or dead. If need be I could probably still summon some catnip to occupy myself until this is fixed. James is dead. He only has so long before he can't help but pass on.
To emphasize this point, Zea placed one paw gingerly on James' arm. Finding it to be stable enough, she walked over it to sit on the ground between his upper arm and torso. With a curious and slightly affectionate gesture, she butted her forehead against James' cheek. Turning to Jessie, she opened her mouth wide the way only a kitten can, her blue-furred face opening with a near-silent mew that kittens generally only reserve for their mothers. Jessie could hear it, though. Elves have good enough hearing that it was barely audible, but the message was clear. "Over here, please?"
It was good of Jessie to finally get us out when James is already dead, Cerene nearly so, and me a kitten. Just the same, I think it would be nice if he could offer a solution to some remaining problems. If he doesn't think of a way to fix me and help James, I'm going to relieve myself in his bedroll.
Zea found that some of James' blood had gotten onto her front paws, staining them a dark purple. Without considering the implications of it, she idly licked her feet clean, paying special attention to the spaces between her toes. She paused in her efforts to make eye contact with Jessie again. She repeated her request and stared at him expectantly.
Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=kai@rpgww60462>Kai</A] at: 11/9/05 16:07