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Post by sumatrae on Nov 1, 2012 14:15:31 GMT -5
Tula set her case down and bent over to get out her instrument. Carefully she opened it and took out her bow and rosin, rubbing them together and watching the dust scatter. Sighing she looked up at the bright blue sky without a cloud in sky. It was mid-afternoon and this was her second stop. She had been at the tavern that morning and had made a good few shillings to show for it, dinner would come tonight if only she had as much luck here. Grinning the tortie took out her violin and her shilling pouch after carefully dumping its contents into the case. Closing the latches she unwound the string that tied the pouch together and lay the square piece of fabric flat down beside her violin case. Drawing up to her full height, which really wasn't all that impressive, Tulila lay her bow on the strings and started to warm them up as it was reasonably chilly outside. The scales and arpeggios drew small attention but she went unnoticed for the most part.
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Post by sinfuloblivion on Nov 1, 2012 15:19:17 GMT -5
Tiny white paws pressed forward through a bustling crowd of other cats of all colours, shapes, sizes, and breeds on the cobble stone streets. Cat's advertising their products called to onlookers who gave the potential to buy. The whole scene came across this little she-kit as nothing less than chaotic but nevertheless, it was somewhat exciting at the same time. This whole place, it was exactly like the stories her mother use to tell her, the Cat Empire! Everything was just like what she described if not more amazing in it's full glory under the clear blue skies. At first anyway, blinded by the memories of her past dreams if only for a second "Ouch.." Nil's tiny voice mewed out from under the bustling marketplace after having stood still in the middle of the walkways for too long as a stranger finally gave her a good shove to get moving again. Pale redwood audits flattened against the she-kit's skull as she quickly shuffled out to the side with Syn (PlushDragon) in hand nervously clutching her companion for comfort. Wobbling along the road slightly in attempts to steer clear of any strangers' touch Nil's eyes wandered left and right seeking a way out of the place now, growing less and less fond of the commotion. Even though it hadn't been much anything more than the quiet rustle of brilliant autumn leaves in the Shores had been plenty enough for Nil to want out. This, however, was something she was going to have to discard if she was going to survive in her life. All the new sights and smells around her were quick to mash up into a single mass of confusion, pushing her way through several cats Nil's little form raced through the street with scarf flowing behind in the wind past her until a single sound caught her ears causing her to halt abruptly. A sound she'd heard in the past only once, preformed by an unknown source, though not as fluent it still chimed in the same fashion. It was as brisk and flowing as nature itself. Flickering ears led Nil on a curious venture to find the source until at last off to the side sat another young feline not much elder than herself with a violin. "Woah!" Nil rushed up towards the tortie without a thought in the world, as if her mind had come to a complete stop before realizing what she had just done. "Oh...Umm..." Nil's soft voice grew quieter with every light mutter. 'Way to go..' She thought quietly, her mustard coloured eyes turning aside anxiously. Little paws brought the fleece scarf up towards her nose to take in a light wiff of hay, the sent of which still lightly lingered on the fabric. The attempt to calm herself, however, didn't get far still looking no less frightened than before. /OOC Hey if you want to put Tula and Nil in the title that may work too, to show that it's just us. o.o
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Post by sumatrae on Nov 1, 2012 17:55:58 GMT -5
Tula looked up in surprise as a young tabby and white cat came running up to her. Smiling at the small she-cat she noticed her unease of the crowd. “Hello!” she said brightly, waving her tail a little although she continued to play her violin. Now the strings hummed as she moved her paws along the fret board to create an Eb minor scale. Her instrument seemed to come to life under gentle guidance, warming up nicely. Soon the notes were clear and sweet again and Tula was ready to actually play a song. Pausing for a moment she looked around at the crowd, as usual they gave her quite a wide working stretch, most of them knowing her as she played here often. Cats never made her nervous; she’d grown up under some pretty rough circumstances which gave her a kind of fiery attitude towards strangers. This bought her some respect which did her well as for the most part she got a clear territory for dancing and busking.
Turning to her somewhat intimidated companion she picked an upbeat fiddle song to start with causing an interest with the crowd as many cats turned their heads to find the source of the sound. Full notes vibrated off the wooden violin and called for you to get up and dance. “I really like your scarf,” she said again, perfectly capable of playing and talking at the same time. Glancing down at her own dancing scarf that was wrapped around her neck she realized how worn it was. But that didn’t matter, it had been her mother’s. But it would still be nice to have something that thick and warm…. Grinning Tula backed up a couple paces and turned on the spot, starting to dance.
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Post by sinfuloblivion on Nov 1, 2012 23:07:55 GMT -5
Quiet notes picked up a jumpy up-beat tone once Nil had rashly rushed up to the tortie whom had greeted her cheerfully. The music gracefully lifted the kit's mood from anxious and scared to once more parting from reality, back into that realm of dreams. Flickering audits at last stood straight up upon her skull to catch every last joy-filled tone. Not only had the passing faces turned towards them but Nil's wide hues couldn't dare rip away from Tula's swift movements as the bow swept across the instrument with good speed. It was truly amazing! The little kit's anxious gaze had slowly begun to fade into a light smile. "You do? Thanks." Nil mewed, surprised to have received such a complement, perhaps things weren't so bad here or maybe she was going to steal it. Though slightly wary though past events Nil's ill thoughts were quickly drained out once more, the she-cat before her had begun a chipper dance. How could she stay foul minded towards anything in her situation.
It had taken a moment, a tiny white paw now tapping a loose piece of cobble below her, but as the music filled her soul the kit had an idea. Reeling her leather pouch up towards her Nil swung Syn over her forearm, swapping 'him' for a small wooden object. Allowing the bag to drop Nil's tiny paws stretched out slightly to fit into the tiny round cut-outs of the oblong-shaped wind instrument. Taking a moment to find the right timing between the tortie's notes Nil would join in, her breath flowing into the hollow object to create a wonderful tone. The notes together were like nothing she'd heard before and it had quickly set into a joyful feeling of relaxation. Ivory lids fell over mustard coloured eyes as she too jumped around slightly in an attempt to dance her own little way, though it may have looked somewhat silly for the kitten had no idea what her feet were doing beyond the feeling of music.
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Post by sumatrae on Nov 2, 2012 0:26:31 GMT -5
"Of course I do it's lovely!" Tulila laughed happily, the music carrying her away as usual. She jumped, turned and swayed over the dance floor without a single hitch in the music. She was well practised for her short ten months, only being able to perform as she did from the long hours she spent doing it every day so she could to earn dinner. Plus even if she had the money she'd do it anyway, why not? It was great fun! Plus she met loads of cats and could usually make her way around safely for her size.
Completely lost in her imagination and grinning at the stranger who had just dropped her a shilling Tula was surprised to hear a airy sound joining in her simple tune. She, of course, had thought that the other small cat with the nice scarf had already left, so she was super surprised when she saw that it was her joining in. Laughing again Tula twirled towards her and beckoned onto the small cobbled space that had been cleared. She also noticed that as soon as the white she-cat had started playing the onlookers had come forward faster and donated more than what she'd normally get in 30 minutes. Grinning mischievously at the unknown musician she sped up the simple fiddle beat till her paws practically flew across the fret board.
As she systematically sped up her paws every time the short song repeated Tula noticed that The cat with the air instrument and the dragon was dancing too, accompanied by many of the audience. Moving to a short wall breaking the woods from the square the tortie started to use it as a dancing base, jumping on and off it as well as twirling around on the narrow ledge. Sometimes her eyes met the sky and a sort of sad glee filled her as she thought about how much her father would have loved it. He had always told her about fall, the time when the leaves fell from the trees and the air grew brisk. Tula had always wanted to experience it but it was a shame that it would have to be alone. But Ardan was safe in heaven and that would have to do for now, perhaps he was up there tapping his foot to her light piece. Giggling at the thought she decided that if god had a violin like the priest said he would've borrowed it and joined merrily in.
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Post by sinfuloblivion on Nov 2, 2012 16:33:38 GMT -5
Allowing her mind to escape freely into the tone of music a single of Nil's eyes peeked open, a smile following, as the cats around them seemed to take a great amount of interest Nil turned her attention to the gracefully dancing tortie next to her. Not a single note out of line for all her movement, something she herself hadn't been so skilled with yet other than to be able to allow the movement flow through the tapping of her ivory-hued paws. It was all pretty amazing how quickly Nil lost her lingering fears for the masses and any intentions they had. But it was all a matter of this distraction. Nevertheless, Nil continued to keep up with the song fluently until the dancing stranger had suddenly sped the tune up. Taking her maw away from the mouthpiece of her ocarina her gaze lifted up towards the feline as her paws virtually flew in a blurr across the violin that she plaid. Dazed for a moment the duo faded back into a fantastic solo. "Wow!" Nil's voice mewed cheerfully, a wide grin following. She wanted to be that good with her ocarina! Quickly setting herself back up to play again Nil's little pads danced gracefully across the top of the object. The notes this time, however, had not kept straight along with the tortie's but instead created a nice 'remix' of sorts this time. Trying to be graceful the kit's paws begun to swipe forward and back somewhat mocking the other young feline's movements to pick up on how that dancing thing worked but only after a few swift movements had Nil too begun twirling around in the brisk autumn winds. Her breath held steady despite using up so much energy in short bursts that carried her form with tail and scarf flowing behind her. "I've never done this before." Nil brought herself away from her mouthpiece once more as the stranger had eyed the heavens quietly. She wasn't sure why she'd gazed up like that but the expression only reminded her of her own feelings towards her parents that she'd lost in the blaze.. The thought only lingered into an unknowingly similar thought between the two cats. What if her mother and father were listening to her, would they be proud? Giving a warm smile to the thought the she-kit glanced down seeing the once empty shilling pouch seemed to be filling quickly. That was a lot of shillings for sure, or at least more than the 25 she had kept in her bag for so long now never having a good use for them yet. "You got a lot!" She finally pointed out, skull snapping back towards some of the stands. Lifting herself up by standing on the edges of her toes her ears looked forward trying to see what exactly they gave out round here, looked like a lot. Everything from food to accessories. "Are you going to buy something soon?"
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Post by sumatrae on Nov 2, 2012 20:10:35 GMT -5
Tula spun as she sped up the notes, noticing when the white she-cat joined in once again. She seemed to have loosened up with her dancing and was now moving across the floor like she was. Knowing that the cats who had stopped to watch would soon grow bored of the same simple fiddle tune she stopped in the middle of the space and sped up once last time before ending with a staccato flourish. Smiling at the crowd the small tortie looked around at the square of fabric she had left out for donations and was astounded at the pile that had gathered there. She had never earned so much without Ardan before. It must be the stranger who had helped her. Turning, a wide smile crept onto her face and she realised that the small musician was talking to her. "Well it doesn't show!" she exclaimed, "You're amazing!!"
Starting a more complicated lullaby style piece to keep up excitement bonuses she turned back to the same she-cat. "Well I'll give half to you of course, and then put some aside for dinner. And then keep the rest for emergencies or in case someone else needs it of course." Smiling she tapped her foot slowly to the light song. It was airy like the falling leaves that framed the marketplace. In fact, it seemed as if every tone she hit with her bow melded together to create an almost visual illusion. "Hey I could get us some apples if you want." Tula grinned, "I'm Tulila by the way, Tula for short." Twirling on the spot she moved in time with the music, tail flowing out behind her and scarf fluttering in the slight breeze.
She could tell that some of the cats that were gathered round new the song she was playing, and the dance that went with it. Capturing and sad she had written it in the weeks right after her father died but before she had lost the house. It had taken a long time to get the melody just right and many experimental sessions once she'd decided she wanted a set dance to go with it. For the most part her dancing was improvised but sometimes when she was bored, which wasn't that often mind you, she created small steps to fit with a certain part of a self-composed piece.
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Post by sinfuloblivion on Nov 3, 2012 14:49:14 GMT -5
Nil's ivory form swept across the floor in which they had danced on harmoniously together. The kittens short limbs moved gracefully alongside her shifting pads and cautiously steady breath. Maintaining the fragile sounds of the ocarina was no easy task, it took a keen ear to capture the true beauty of every note that it cast into the ears of the onlookers whom seemed quite pleased with their song, however, would indeed grow bored of hearing the same thing. Nil hadn't noticed such a thing quite yet until the dancing stranger had responded to her. Loosening up even more so than before Nil's expression was nothing short of the exact meaning of joy. Smiling wide as Tula had started up a sweet lullaby. Stepping back and allowing herself to fall down onto the cobble below with ocarina in hand. Soft pink pads grazed the rough cobble slowly for a moment, the new tone casting a subtle and peaceful feel through her body. Drawing her limbs closer to her body the feline wrapped her forelimbs across them setting her skull on top of her silky knees. "Really? You will?!" Nil mewed softly as to not disrupt the wonderful song which did indeed glorify the nature of the fall season. Shifting her glance above the streets Nil watched several leaves fall loose of their branches, twirling in the chilly breeze which no more sooner had brought it's caressing touch through the kit's snow white pelt. Gold tipped scarf swayed behind her, sweeping across the ground behind her. "That would be nice." Nil replied at last catching the strangers name. "I'm.. I'm Nil" Her soft voice chimed watching Tula twirl with the wind. Something about the song had somewhat reminded her of her mother's lullaby but the tone still remained much different than that. Perhaps this stranger wasn't so bad after all. She couldn't steal her scarf right? But what about the others. Nil's glance took a turn towards the gathering crowd around them whom had been contently listening to them as well as donating shillings for their music, or rather, Tula's efforts. But the one thing she was certainly thankful for was the comfort of the music as well as her kind words before most likely having to go elsewhere with time as much as she dreaded the thought now.
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Post by sumatrae on Nov 3, 2012 15:26:56 GMT -5
"Of course I will!!" Tula laughed as she played and danced, hopping slightly from foot to foot. "Nil's a lovely name." she added, closing her eyes as she got to her favourite part in the piece. It had broken her heart to write and made her cry the first few times she had played it, and yet it was still somewhat happy. It always made her recall the one simple vision of her mother that she remembered so clearly. Opening her eyes again she looked around to find Nil sitting on the ground with her little wind instrument in her paw. It was such a dainty instrument but what a beautiful sound, and the small white cat had played it wonderfully. She had quickly recognized that she had an ear for music as well.
The tortie's left paw continued to note on the fret board while her other one handled the bow, lightly touching the red ribbon she had tied around it. She was almost done for the day, what an excellent turnout! She might even be able to afford a cup of soup to go for dinner. And she still wanted to buy them apples. Tula loved apples, especially in the fall when they were crisp. She knew just which vendor to get them from too, she sometimes had one for her weekly breakfast on Saturdays.
Her song was drawing to an end now, winding down. She could tell the crowd appreciated it as usual. She knew that it was the personal favourite of some of the vendors. Dragging the bow across the highest string she finished the lullaby and turned back to Nil. "Do you want to go get an apple now?" she asked excitedly, "I can pay, don't worry." Hoping that the stranger would agree Tula tuned her violin again by ear since the cold air put in out in short amounts of time.
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Post by sinfuloblivion on Nov 4, 2012 14:02:49 GMT -5
"Wow, thanks so much" Hues of dull gold swiftly shot down to the cobble floor silently staring at her little ivory toes which had come to retract inwards slightly. Tightly clutching her knees Nil's skull had remained sitting upon the tops of them, ears giving the only fluid movement as they danced in between the crowd and Tula's song aside from the light movement of her scarf being carried in the wind. Slowly turning her ocarina in paw to a more comfortable position Nil enjoyed every last note that came from that wonderful violin of Tula's.
That tortie was sure nice, much nicer than things had been out in the Human Kingdoms anyway. Cats there were nothing but thieves, or so she thought anyway, but when it was almost all you had been exposed to by chance what else was she supposed to think? The only kind felines she knew beforehand had been her parents. But now Tula had so swiftly shown her a bit of a new light and being still so young and flexible Nil was welcome to the idea. After all the kit didn't exactly /want/ to look at others poorly. It was stressful! Not to mention it just didn't feel all that right. Nevertheless she knew she should always show a given amount of caution, right?
As Tula drew her song to a close Nil's ears dew back to her skull somewhat, looking up towards the young violinist from the cobble floors below. Taking her pouch by the leather straps once more Nil would let go of her tightly bound knees so that they could relax. Unfastening the buckle on the front the kitten exchanged her little wooden ocarina for Syn once more, hugging it immediately. "Yeah!" Pushing herself up with a jolt of excitement the kit bounced up a step or two towards the dispelling and ever satisfied crowd. "I have a little though, let's both pay half!" Nil added quickly not wanting to let her pay it all, Tula put in such hard work and she too wanted to show her appreciation to her new acquaintance.
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Post by sumatrae on Nov 4, 2012 20:12:51 GMT -5
"Well...." Tula said slowly, unwilling to let Nil pay, "Why don't we just take the shillings from our earnings before we split it?" It sounded fair to her although she still had every intention of giving the cream she-cat more than half. She looked down at the small female and her chin lightly touched the silky scarf around her neck. Her stubborn tuft of fur stuck up as usual on the back of her neck but to be honest the tortie kind of liked it, especially glad that the rest of her fur was as long. A green gaze watched as Nil put her wooden thing (she didn't know exactly what it was) away and exchanged it for a dragon. Sometimes Tula wished for a plush although it wasn't too often, she had her blanket and scarf. "Where'd you get the dragon?" she asked curiously, "Is it from the market?"
Sighing a puff of vapor appeared beside Tulila's nose. Smiling warmly she half walked half skipped towards her case which she opened and carefully drew the cord for the shilling pouch out. It would cost about ten shillings for the apples so she took those off the pile, still astounded at how many they had made. She had 29 so that meant that there was 19 left. Pushing ten off for Nil she wrapped the rest up in the fabric excluding the ten for the fruit. Carefully she stuffed the pouch into the hidden compartment of her case with the other few objects she owned before adding the fiddle and bow. The silver latches closed and the long furred black and orange she-cat slung it on her back by its brown leather strap. Then, turning to the two piles of carefully counted shillings she picked one pile up in each paw.
As Tula finished cleaning up the crowd moved back into her corner and it took a minute to find the tiny stranger. Finally reaching her she held out the ten shillings in one paw. "Here, for you." smiling and beckoning with her tail she pointed excitedly at the apple booth, happy to have company for once.
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Post by sinfuloblivion on Nov 6, 2012 16:30:01 GMT -5
"Alright, sounds good." The subtle voice of the young ivory-pelted feline mewed out from within the groups of shopping cats all around both her and Tula. Keeping ears straight and forward the she-cats tail swayed from left to right slightly as she stood quietly watching her company closely. Lightly fumbling with Syn between her paws her attention was brought fully upon it the moment Tula had brought it into the center of conversation. "Syn was a gift from my mother when I was a few months old." Nil explained with confidence in her voice only to fade out into a questioning tone. "I'm not sure where she got him though.." she added wondering the very same thing herself. Maybe he was just like everything else she had gotten from her mother, she did live here afterall. Shifting from paw to paw Nil waited patiently to see what types of things the market had to offer. The more she looked around the more she noticed new and different things that gave her great interest. Not only that but she had also begun to fall into a daze about how amazing the city was, once more. After playing music with Tula the scary thoughts were swept away, so what if she got nudged a few times? She didn't have to give her immediate trust to anyone, she could watch out for herself right? Yep that was it!
The ping of shillings being sorted among each other fell on the she-cats ears swerving them towards the sound just as Tula had slyly stashed them into her case. "Hey.. that's really smart." thinking aloud Nil quickly drew her leather pouch up to snag her shilling pouch out giving it a good look over, as well as the leather pouch for a moment. Allowing her attention to drift back to Tula for a moment she allowed her larger pouch to drop down on it's strap. "Thank-you so much Tula! I really mean it." Nil purred holding out her two paws with her dew claw holding onto her pouch by the strings so that she could catch the share of shillings within them. "Let's go." she exclaimed seeming just as if not more excited than Tula whom had just pointed out the stand. Taking a running leap forward Nil threw the shillings into her pouch, then her little bag quickly so that she would waste no time. Running through oncoming 'traffic' as she did Nil held out her forelimbs as she made it to the booth, hopefully with Tula right behind her. Hitting the wooden stand like a mini freight train the kitten looked up longingly at the delicious fruits for sale.
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Post by sumatrae on Nov 7, 2012 21:55:23 GMT -5
Tula subconsciously fingered her scarf when Nil mentioned Syn being a gift from her mother. Possibly they had been somewhat better off than the tortie and her low class family although that didn't matter all that much. The leather strap, well molded to her figure, was warming up now and beginning to feel as if it belonged again. Just like the familiar weight of her things in the case on her back. Grinning the she-cat ran forwards after the small white youth towards the stand she had pointed out.
Expertly dodging in between the cats Tula followed Nil, surprised at how incredibly eager she seemed. Wondering whether the small she-cat had even ever been to the market the tortie just about ran into her when they reached the stand. Seeing the pleasure on the young cat's face, not so much younger than herself, Tula grinned. Leaves were falling, the sky was bright and she had met someone friendly. Life wasn't all that bad. Reaching a paw forwards she deposited the shillings on the counter.
"Two apples please!" The vendor looked at Nil sternly and opened his mouth but he just smiled when he saw Tula and turned to go get two of her very favourite apples. They were bright red, crisp and sweet. Mouth watering in anticipation the small female was bouncing on the balls of her feet. As the clerk returned to the counter he rolled two cherry-red apples bigger than both her fists towards Tula who caught one in each hand and held them out to Nil for her to choose one as their shillings were counted. Winking at the tom cat behind the counter as he nodded at her the tortie turned away. "Which one do you want Nil?"
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Post by sinfuloblivion on Nov 8, 2012 12:48:07 GMT -5
The moment Nil's paws slammed against the wooden stand her body juddered with excitement. Looking back over her shoulder spotting Tula who had kept up well and it seemed she was quite good at dodging through traffic too. Dull gold eyes made haste in snapping back to the stand, pulling herself up onto the stand some so that she could see due to a bit of a height challenge, however, the moment her eyes drifted into sight of the shopkeeper she quickly let herself down. Perhaps she did something wrong? Nil's joyful grin slowly melted into a nervous frown, tail puffing out some for a moment before the tense air had at last settled. Unable to quite see everything that the vender had gestured to Tula behind the counter Nil stood patiently until two wonderfully red objects rolled into Tula's paws. Tossing Syn from one arm to the next the 9 month old kitten turned to face Tula, whom was thankfully not too too tall, Nil's forearm reached up pointing at a single apple. "That one!" Nil mewed with a grin.
/OOC: ShortieAgain XD Sorry. This is great so far, don't you think? ouo
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Post by sumatrae on Nov 10, 2012 0:48:33 GMT -5
Smiling as the eagerness reentered her companion's face Tula handed off the apple Nil had chosen and withdrew from the booth to let other cats in. The small she-cat could faintly hear a bard singing further down the street, she had heard the story before, and the same old birds chirping in the woods. But to the young cat's enthusiastic mind everything was new, exciting and beautiful. The sky was blue without a cloud in sight and she had made enough shillings to take the rest of the day off. What a wonderful time! Her smile slowly split into a grin as she turned her head and looked down at the apple in her paws. "Want to go for a walk with me? I'm taking the rest of the day off..." a questioning green gaze looked up from the fruit at her claws and over to Nil. Wondering whether she would have company for the rest of the day Tula sighed happily and flicked her long bushy tail.
She could almost taste the juicy sweet flesh of the apple as she shined it lightly against her fur. Carefully holding it up to her teeth she took a big bite and her face lit up. You could never quite get tired of that wonderful taste, and never quite remember it. Chewing and crunching the tortie observed the delicate break in the thin red skin that gave way to clean white fruit and core. How completely... awesome. Giggling Tulila took another smaller bite before looking up and wiping juice from her whiskers.
"So what do you say? We could go for a walk down by the tavern, or the ocean. OR we could go around the market some more or even explore the woods!" The young cat was letting herself go now and her talkative habits were taking over. Pure good natured cheerfulness shone on her face with a slight shade behind her eyes of naughtiness. Not being able to keep her feet still Tula started dancing and twirling around Nil. Her feet almost moved independently underneath her as she was not sure what she was doing. Jump turns and twirls and spirals. Enough to make anyone dizzy but she just couldn't hold still!
((That's alright! I think it's going amazing! They get along pretty well it seems ;D))
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