Bizitza Arnasten Berriro

[Mr. OOC]

Not an it. Yes. He caught that but let it slide away. It wasn't worth commenting on, though it did mean she was getting at least a little bit of what this was.

With him, she saw what his parents had been like. Detached, for the most part. They cared so little for normal lives for their children that they freely gave up one of their sons to the Jedi. Leos didn't even remember his brother's name anymore. But either way, the younger Palle would never have gotten to live the life of a child. The Jedi would have rotted his mind with their teaching, stripping him of his freedoms and turning him into an emotionless machine. It still angered him to this day. Though his parents still lived, and though he wished he could kill them for what they'd done, he wouldn't ever do it. It wouldn't be fair to his brothers.

"Yes, very wrong. My brother lost his family the day they gave him up. Lost his childhood."

He couldn't be sure she was talking about his parents when she said that, but he decided to hope she was. With that in mind, he'd meant to change the scene himself, when suddenly it changed around him. A surprised blink and he looked around to make sure they were still alone. They were. And he heard voices, coming from what they saw, the imaginary people. And behind them, a small, pale child that he recognized instantly. This wasn't something anyone brought up save for her. It was an ancient memory embedded within her DNA that had somehow forced its way through her mental wall and into the link of illusion that the two of them shared. It was quite outstanding, really.

At the same time, it was showing them both something new. That her, her predecessors, mother had walked out on her instead of fighting for her. When she looked at him, his brow was furrowed in thought. It took him a moment to register her attention, and when he did he lifted his gaze to hers and nodded his head. Yes, it had been the memories of her predecessor. He hadn't even known her name wasn't Kith. That was interesting.

"I didn't even know she had another name, but it seems her mother left her. Parents seem to be failures in this galaxy of ours."

He set them back into the darkness of the void for the moment. He didn't want her to get fixated on what she'd seen of her predecessors past, but mostly he didn't want it to upset her, even though he probably should have let it do so. Chances were it had already upset her anyway.

"You alright? That kind of came out of nowhere. I'll continue if you feel up for it."

| [member="Kith Verloren"] |​

 

[Darth Caecus]

Now Kith sat, trusting that the chair he'd offered earlier would still be there for her.

"Kurayami Kitaeru," she said quietly. "Her father's name was Kurayami Taka." She paused, puzzled for a moment and then. "Jalina Trasus was her mother."

The anger she'd felt at [member="Ignus"] had melted away in the face of that series of memories. What had replaced it was far more nebulous, harder to pin down with a single bit of imprinted vocabulary.

"No. I am not alright," she said bluntly.

But she didn't know what was wrong, either.

Instinct and inclination told her that whatever it was- bury it. Dig a hole and bury it deep, no words needed if it never saw the light of day. No introspection required. Cold, indifferent, because those things could function no matter the rest. Ice so thick no warmth could possibly reach through to thaw.

To soften.

So why did the impassive faces of his parents bubble up to the surface when she went to dive beneath that glacial calm? And what was the feeling that came with it?

She was uncomfortable and she didn't know why.

"But we can continue."

 

[Mr. OOC]

"Don't bottle it up. Express it. Let it do what it will do and you'll come to understand."

Though he didn't say what the it was that he was referring to, he was certain she would figure it out. Either way, the names. He mentally said each name several times to burn it into his memory so he could do some digging later. Now that he'd learned something about her predecessor, he wanted to know more. Why had her mother left her? Why had she become the way she was? What else happened in her childhood to turn her into the cold, heartless person she'd become? Aside from the fact that she'd been dead and raised from it. That part was guaranteed to make someone cold and heartless. He couldn't possibly think of a better way to do it than that.

She'd sat down at least. That was good. So now he shifted the realm around them until they were looking at a young couple. These were people he'd witnessed over the years. The two were clearly in love with each other, walking through the streets of some beautiful city that he'd forgotten about. The two were holding hands, walking down the street and entering what appeared to be a hotel. The scene followed them as they booked a room and ascended, and then it stopped.

"What did you see?"

He was curious if these visions he was showing her what caused her to see the vision of her predecessor. If it was, then that was all the more reason to continue with doing what he was doing. In this instance he wanted her to see young lovers. He had many things to show her, but as the previous emotions had also involved love it seemed to make sense that they transition through love to other emotions as well. Flood her emotional senses and she might break apart and show her emotions, which he wanted. She needed to fully understand everything that she felt, and express it as well, so that she wouldn't become the person that her predecessor had been. Plus he wanted to see how she'd feel about him.

| [member="Kith Verloren"] |​

 

[Darth Caecus]

Don't bottle it up.

That was exceedingly unhelpful advice and the slightly grumpy look on her face spoke volumes. She didn't even know what it was yet. Just that she didn't like it.

As the scene materialized again, she wished, for a moment, that she'd told him 'no, stop,' instead. But instead she sat, frowning at first as they followed the couple through the streets.

It was.... utterly mundane. Especially compared to the last three visions.

Certain aspects registered somewhere in her subconscious though. The way his hand rested on the small of her back. The particular tilt of her head when she looked up at him. The way they were both only truly aware, not just of each other, but how they fit into the space around the other. Filling a void that neither of them had to worry about, simply because the other one existed.

Her brow furrowed.

"Different kind of love," she muttered. "The beginning of it at least. All endorphins. It's sweet," she said, and for a moment, there was an almost wistful quality to her voice. "But it doesn't last."

The scene shifted.

There was no mistaking Kith this time. She looked very much the same, nearly a mirror, of the young woman sitting in the chair across from [member="Ignus"] . Dressed in a faded grey tunic and leggings, she waited behind the corner of a building. Long blonde hair was pulled back from her face, and she held her back against the wall, watching the busy passage of people on the street. Her body tensed, eyes unblinking for a moment as she held her breath.

He stepped out into view from around the corner. Darker blonde hair, blue eyes- no mistaking the Jedi for what he was from the saber at his hip, to his clothes, to the very way he moved.

Her hand snaked out, fingers wrapping around his wrist and pulling him suddenly around the corner-

Directly into a waiting kiss.

"I didn't think you'd come," she breathed as her hands laced behind his head. "If they find you here.... they'll kill you."

He smiled down at her, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.

"I promised I'd be here. Not even an army of Sith could stop me from seeing you."

"Well, *I* could probably stop you," she murmured, a ghost of a smile flickering over her lips.

"You haven't managed it yet....."

"Tantor Aden."

The scene dissolved into darkness, but unlike when Leos did it, there was an agitated shiver to the black. She was standing up again, but she didn't remember doing it. She swallowed, blinking and rubbing a hand over her face.

"That was Tantor Aden," she clarified, voice a little muffled as she dragged the back of her hand across her lips. Her mouth was dry, heart beating rapidly. Something deep in the very core of her ached.

"She loved him."

Kith moved toward him, stopping half way between the chair and where he sat.

"Why do I remember these things? I know- I know they aren't coming from you- I don't.... Leos I don't want to remember this! What happened! It's not me! It's not my life."

 

[Mr. OOC]

Another vision. This was getting pretty good. Not for her, perhaps, but in his knowledge of her past, well, her predecessors past, he gained insight into what had turned her into the person that she had become over all those years. In seeing this little bit of her with the Jedi, Tantor Aden as she said, he knew that she at least had the capacity to love even back then. But she hadn't had this man with her before at Castameer, and as far as he knew, the Jedi had long since died. He'd have to do more research, or hope that she had another vision of the past in order to learn more about the man and his connection to her. Though she didn't seem to care for it.

"It's not you, but I can't take them away from you. It's left in your DNA."

Not that he wanted to. It was hurting her to have those memories, and in so doing she was starting to feel that hurt. It was affecting her to the point that she was begging for them to stop. That was exactly what he wanted from her. She needed to feel these things. And though it hurt her, and she'd probably have a new one with the next thing she saw, he was there for her. She wasn't alone, and if the next one broke her apart, he would be there to show her comfort. Though he needed her to feel the hurt, that didn't mean that he really wanted it, after all. It wasn't as if she'd done something to deserve it. Still, he wanted her to be alive, to learn, to become something better. She needed this.

He shifted the scene again. Perhaps if she'd seen her predecessors past love when a show of love was presented to her, a show of heartache would draw something else out. Heartache was indeed a good way to drive someone to become cruel, after all. This time the scene shifted to a vision of people he'd seen before. A man and a woman, together within the confines of a small park on some world he couldn't remember the name of. He'd been to so many worlds throughout his life it was impossible to remember the name of every one. He remembered this event, though, because in some regards he'd understood what the man in question felt.

The reason why was simple. As the two walked, he stopped her and produced a ring. It seemed a somewhat archaic custom, he'd remembered thinking that, and he still did, but it did have a certain antique charm to it. The man produced the ring, offering it to her, asking her to marry him. She'd lifted a hand to her mouth, but ultimately shook her head no and backed away from him, turning to run off. The man, for his part, appeared stunned at first, and then upset to the point of tears. The heartache was plainly evident.

"What do you see?"

And though he did want her to answer, he ultimately hoped she responded with another vision.

| [member="Kith Verloren"] |​

 

[Darth Caecus]

She stood in the middle of the scene, barely a meter from the couple. When he drew out the ring, she flinched- not easy to notice for most people, but [member="Ignus"] would see the tightening around her eyes, the slight change in the set of her shoulders.

What do you see?

"She made the right decision," she answered immediately, without a trace of hesitation. "A ring is just an empty promise."

Certainly not a sentiment that would have been imprinted on the clone by his staff.

She watched the man's face grimly.

And it melted into the face of another as the scene shifted.

Tantor, older than the last memory. His face, holding a ring, was hopeful. Kith stood in front of him, staring at him uncomprehending, her brow furrowed.

"Ten years? You.... have carried that with you..... for ten years? Tantor.... I died. I can't give you what you want. I can't give you a family-"

"Do you think I care about that Kith? You are everything I want. I love you." He reached out, taking her hand. Somehow, the two spectators knew that her flesh was cold as ice.

"Marry me. Let me prove to you, every day, that you are everything I need. I never want to lose you again."

Kith closed her eyes as the illusionary woman nodded and the scene shifted again. The sight of the two embracing faded into the blonde woman standing alone in a door way.

There were no words, no sound as she leaned heavily, looking out. The view of Kor Vella, overlooking the waterfall there. She stepped outside, walking slowly up the path that led to the height of the falls.

"He left," she whispered. Despite not being able to see that part of it, she knew, and narrated for Leos in a distant sort of voice. "He didn't even tell her to her face. Just left a message. That even though he loved her, his responsibility to someone else forced his hand."

The woman reached the top of the falls. She toyed with something in her hands. The ring.

"She searched. Of course. And she found what she needed. He hadn't left for the Jedi, or some great purpose. He left because he chose a woman who could bear him a child. For a woman who was..... warm."

She didn't throw the ring. There was no anger. Her face was utterly still as she reached out and dropped the slender metal band over the edge.

"They were wed for barely a month," she whispered as she watched it fall.

 

[Mr. OOC]

Leos stood then, when all was said and done, and walked over to where she was standing watching the ring as it fell down into oblivion. He didn't touch her, didn't embrace her as one would someone that was upset. She had broken, but if he left her as she was she would become broken like her predecessor. Her words on it being a hollow promise, and the way she watched the ring fall were enough for him to see that as being the case. He wouldn't let that happen to her if he could avoid it.

"She should never have been in that situation to begin with. Someone violated her person and reincarnated her. Had they not, what you saw wouldn't have happened."

He froze the scene and drew them in closer to herm Her impassiveness, the way her skin was incredibly pale, it was easy to see that she was gone at this point. The Kith that had been alive would never return, only the ever darkness would be present within her soul.

"It wasn't an empty promise, just a false one. Loose morality leads to situations like this all the time. He did love her, you could see it on his face, but she'd been dead and he had moved on in a way. Clearly he'd known that he had, since he slept with someone else. What he did to her was dishonorable, morally reprehensible. Disturbing, especially from a Jedi."

He turned and tapped a finger against her chest, but in appropriate manner, not a handsy one.

"What you feel in here is hurt, Kith. That's why you didn't want to see more. It hurt you. That's what people feel when bad things happen. Everything you kill someone, they leave behind someone who feels that feeling. Life is not infinite. Even she knew that. We cannot waste such a valuable resource, we have to harness it in a way that doesn't destroy people like Tantor did to her. There is nothing wrong with expressing your emotions, nothing wrong with feeling. You don't even have to understand them. You just have to let them out.

"I know you were mad at me for doing this to you. You can let your anger out and hit me. Bust my lip and make me bleed. I won't hold it against you. It isn't as if I don't deserve it. But don't hide behind the wall of impassiveness. She did that and ultimately she wanted to destroy the entire galaxy so that she could get some peacemaker She didn't deal with her feelings, she kept them inside until they destroyed her. Don't let them destroy you. I don't want that for you."

He stood before her, fully ready for her to hit him if she wished. She could do so repeatedly. He wouldn't stop her until he got too close to needing a Bacta dip. If nothing else he wanted her to cry from all the overstimulation of her emotions. Even when she'd been standing there stoic he'd noticed the subtle fletcher of someone less gifted in hiding emotion. She'd been trying g so hard not to give away how much it all affected her, but he was able to see through her charade.

"It's better to feel and enjoy life than it is not to feel and lament it."

| [member="Kith Verloren"] |​

 

[Darth Caecus]

​She stood there in complete silence for a long time. It started with a tremor. Her shoulders shook ever so slightly. For a moment, as her hands curled into fists, it looked like she was going to take him up on his offer- to hit him, to let her anger at him, and her mother, and Tantor.... She took a step forward-

And buried her face in his shoulder.

"It wasn't me though," she said, her voice small and tight. "It didn't happen to me. So why does it hurt?"

There was a pause, and her voice broke.

"You did the same thing they did. To her. To me. If I wasn't here, if you hadn't created me, this wouldn't hurt. If what they did was wrong..... how is this any different?"

Her fists came up to his chest as if she were going to hit him, but instead her shoulders shook.

"It's not my pain. It's not my life. How can I figure out how I feel about something that isn't even mine? I don't even have the benefit of having the experience of the good parts. I don't want to be a shadow of her. I want my own, do you understand? Even if it hurts, I don't want someone else's crumbs, Leos."

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Mr. OOC]

Well, she didn't hit him. Ironically he felt more prepared for that than he did to have her bury her face in his shoulder and burst into tears. Granted that was the reaction he was aiming for, but when he got it he actually felt bad about it. That plus the fact that she made a good point. What he'd done to her was hardly any different from what they'd done to her predecessor, drawing her back from the grave. And yet, at the same time, he was positive that it was very different based on the fact that these were two different people. She was not Darth Molior. She was not Kurayami Kitaeru. She was Kith Verloren. They were not the same person and they never would be if he could help it. He didn't want that for her.

He wrapped his arms about her slender frame, holding her to him as her fists rested against his chest and she cried. He let her cry. It was good for her. Keeping those emotions bottled inside could be useful at times, but more often than not it would lead to worse things. She could become exactly what he didn't want her to be. She deserved better than that, which was entirely why he'd brought her into being in the first place: to be better.

"It's different. You aren't her, as you've said. Some of her memories linger, and I didn't know that was even possible, but they do. I brought you into being because I need you. You, not her. You. I need your help. I know that's entirely selfish of me, but I give you free will to leave me and go live a life of your choosing if that's what you wish. I won't stop you. But those memories you have of her can be replaced with new ones. Your own. You just have to be willing to feel, because the most powerful memories are tied to our emotions."

A hand lifted and gently stroked her hair. It was genuinely as soft as he'd thought it would be. To be perfectly honest, this was the first time he'd ever held a woman in such a fashion. He'd carried one of his apprentices before, but that had been different. He'd never just held one. It felt rather pleasant. He resolved, then, that he wouldn't allow her to ever feel what her predecessor had felt in regards to Tantor leaving her. And that if she died, he would find a way to make certain that no one could ever defile her presence by bringing her back as they had done before. She deserved to live a life that made her feel good, and not be troubled by such things as an angry past.

"As for why you feel something for the history of someone else, it's because you don't lack empathy. You feel as they did, or should have, because it's normal. You aren't a monster. You aren't devoid of emotion. Powerful displays of such can make you feel them. It becomes ever more important to choose what you do with your abilities when you realize this."

He found himself tilting his head to the side to lay gently against hers. Though his arms encircled her, his grip was loose enough that she could escape if she wished, though he hoped his embrace brought her comfort.

"It's your life, and you are your own. Choose to live it."

| [member="Kith Verloren"] |​

 

[Darth Caecus]

At least for now, Kith did not feel better for having 'gotten it out'. She felt wretched and vulnerable, wet face buried against his shoulder. But if crying was a thing that people did, well, there were worse places to do it.

Once her shoulders stilled, she didn't move out of his arms. There was a comfort there that she couldn't quantify, and honestly didn't poke too deeply at. On the surface, he was her creator, and that identity was imprinted on the clone to a certain extent. It didn't mean that she could not feel anger at him, or worse, but that, at least for now, the over arching sensation that went with his presence was one of safety. He didn't need to earn her trust.

But he would have to work to keep it.

"Why am I so tired?" She asked finally, the last of the tension draining from her shoulders. She had no frame of reference, either in stolen memories or very short time she'd been alive, of just how exhausting crying was. "This is ridiculous."

If her tone was a little grumpy, well, that could be understood. New experiences were often uncomfortable.

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Mr. OOC]

The fact that she didn't move away from him when the tears were gone was quite astounding. He'd expected her to push away. After all, he had been ultimately responsible for her breaking down into tears in the first place, and he knew that she was aware of that fact. Still, in his opinion it made her stronger to feel. If she felt, she could make wise decisions. If she felt, she could harness the power of her feelings to become stronger in the Force. If she felt, she would be less likely to get herself killed by indiscriminately killing people. He didn't want her to become a murderous sociopath. If she did, he'd lose her quickly. He didn't want to lose her at all, let alone have her suddenly die because she felt nothing about harming people. She wasn't strong enough to take on the galaxy alone.

Her grumpiness was somewhat amusing, however. Of course she was tired. Her body had just released a boatload of hormones and now it was imbalanced. As a result it was telling her that she was tired and needed to rest so that her body could recuperate what she'd lost. It was only natural, but he wasn't going to explain it to her that way.

"Crying doesn't just ease emotional tension, it takes a toll on your body, too. It needs to recover."

The darkness they were within slowly dissolved to once again reveal her room. They were standing within the center of it, and they were alone. Sort of alone. He could see someone outside the compound being nosy. Darned dragon was such a snoop. Regardless, he ignored Cet and focused on the woman he was holding close to him. It was ridiculously comfortable to stand there and hold her. Strange how her body seemed to mold itself against his, as if it were so pliable that it could just fit against any body. Most interesting of all was the fact that he really didn't want to let her go. He'd sort of felt that feeling before, with Teynara, but it hadn't withstood time. Whether it would with Kith or not remained a mystery.

"I can leave you alone to rest or I can stay and keep you company. It's up to you."

| [member="Kith Verloren"] |​

 

[Darth Caecus]

Indecision was a completely alien sensation. She hated it more than just about anything else she'd felt so far.

Should he stay or should he go?

I don't know, okay?

Well, you need to pick one.

Go away.

Kith stepped back, rubbing across her eyes with the back of one hand before looking up at him. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She didn't actually want him to go. But she was at a loss as to why he should stay either. Or what they could possibly talk about if he did. She felt raw and hollow, in no way prepared to chat idly with him about anything, and certainly not speak of serious subjects.

"I think I'd like some time to myself," she said quietly.

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Mr. OOC]

She stepped away and he let her. It didn't feel pleasant to release her from his arms, but it was clear that was what she wanted of him and so he gave in. He was utterly reluctant to do anything she didn't want, unless it was something she needed. Like earlier. She'd needed that, she just didn't know that she needed it. But now she needed space and that was understandable. She probably needed to wrap her head around everything that was going on inside of her. Or she just wanted him to go away. That was also an option. Less pleasant, but possible. He flicked a hand at Cet, shooing the dragon away before she got distracted by it. It flapped off into the caves.

"Of course," he said as he stepped towards the door and opened it. "I'll be in my quarters if you need me. It's down at the end of this hall. Or you can use the comms and ask for me."

He pointed a hand in that direction to make sure she knew. Beyond that, she'd likely either have to ask someone, or inquire of the computer system that monitored the facility. Either would work. He suspected she wasn't going to come down to see him anyway. She'd probably spend some time collecting her thoughts, maybe explore a bit. That was fine. He was going to sit down with his datapad and doodle away some ideas for a ship for her. One of the only ship designs he ever dabbled in were the custom craft like what he'd made for his brother: The Vestigial Light. The rest he generally left up to his scientists and their brilliant minds. They were the ones that had devised the systems that now made up the military craft, after all.

Stepping through the door, he offered her a brief smile and then turned away, letting it close behind him. Down the hall he went, the smile fading into apprehension. No small amount of worry plagued his mind. Though she needed what he'd done, he wondered if it would have the affect he wished it to have, or if she would react adversely to it. Regardless of what happened he was resolved to allowing her to make her own choices in life, whether good or bad. Entering his own quarters, he kicked off his shoes and walked in to sit in a large, oversized seat. Cet flapped in through the open window and huffed out a blast of fire. It didn't catch on anything, but Leos eyed the dragon nonetheless.

"I know. You'll just have to wait. She's barely a day old, Cet. Give her time. When she's ready I'll introduce you."

Arus and Milan padded over to him and lay down at his feet as he grabbed his datapad and started typing away. Might as well get some work done.

| [member="Kith Verloren"] |​

 

[Darth Caecus]

Him leaving didn't particularly help.

She didn't think him staying would have helped either, but that was a rather moot point now wasn't it?

Kith tried to move through the exercises from the night before, but abandoned them several minutes later. Unable to find focus, to concentrate. To let the movements flow through her without thought or concern.

There was too much on her mind now. And it itched.

The room felt too small as she paced. Her head felt too small to hold everything she'd seen and the swirling emotions that went along with it. The stances, the katas- those had come from the same place as these. The same woman had flowed in peace and detachment as had felt the utter heartache of those memories. She knew that, in a distant sort of way. But the knowledge of how she had come to terms with it, how she had found the quietude necessary seemed entirely at odds with the method [member="Ignus"] explained.

She tried again, trying to focus her body through the stances.

Feel the emotions.

Without even thinking about it, she turned, changing the stance and lashing out. Her foot connected with a vase on a side table, sending it to shatter against the wall.

Stilled, she breathed in slowly and deeply, her jaw clenched.

She did not know how to feel the emotions and also find peace in the quiet at the same time. The two seemed completely incompatible with each other.

Not really thinking about it, she stalked toward the door. She didn't remember her shoes.

The room was stifling, closing in. She needed some air.

 

[Mr. OOC]

He was drawing up specs when he felt a distinct change in emotional state. The anger had welled up within her and he could feel it all the way down where he was. He didn't, of course, know that she'd broken a vase, but then he wouldn't have really cared even if he had known. A vase could be replaced. Though he did really enjoy his art, he wasn't above simply not caring about it. What he did care about was when that feeling of anger started moving away. Though he couldn't specifically see what was going on, he knew she'd left the room. Where she was going was a mystery to him, but he didn't particularly aim to find out himself. She still needed space, he was positive of that.

Orange eyes turned to the dragon then, and it looked at him as if asking if now was the time. He couldn't help but think perhaps it was. If she had someone to talk to, that somewhat understood, but didn't talk back, then maybe she'd be able to work things out. She wouldn't feel alone, but she would still be free.

"Now might be a good time, Cet."

Reaching out, he opened the door to his quarters and tilted his head towards it. The small dragon, took wing, gliding above him and through the open doorway. It flew down the hall towards where Kith was walking, keeping up in the air to avoid hitting anyone or anything that might be mounted to the wall. Cet didn't really prefer flying around inside of the facility, but he'd sensed that he had a purpose in meeting with the blonde woman that Leos was so enthralled with. If he was capable of deeper thinking he might have marveled at the fact that Leos was only enthralled with women of that particularly hair color.

Either way, he let out a barking rawr, which wasn't massive, as he flew towards her. His aim? Merely to get her attention. Should she give it, he'd huff at her, and then turn down a side path, attempting to entice her into following him. He'd lead her down one hallway and another until they came to a door which he hovered in front of, glancing back at her in indication that she should open it. If she did, she would admit the both of them into a large cavern, filled with bioluminscent life, and a beautiful underground pool of water that was crystal clear. One could see all the way to the bottom, and could easily note that aside from several varieties of small fish, it wasn't inhabited by monsters. Here she could find peace, without being truly alone.

| [member="Kith Verloren"] |​

 

[Darth Caecus]

What. In the Hell.

Kith ducked when the grey flying lizard first whipped past her head. She moved, ready to swat it out of the air- and just blinked.

"What is it? Has Luke fallen into the well?"

Yeah.... no. She wasn't going to follow it.

She set off down the hall in the direction she'd been going-

Rawr?

It wasn't large. But the weight of it suddenly on the top of her head was surprising and she whirled around, reaching up to grab at it. Then it's claws dug into her hair and it peeped it's head over and into her face.

Graw?

"Look- I- *get off*-"

The creature made a soft tok tok noise and settled more comfortably onto her head. Kith was not amused. But she also realized it wasn't exactly a threat. As satisfying as punching it in the snout might have been in that moment, she remembered the interaction with [member="Ignus"] in the cafeteria yesterday and parts of the conversation earlier. It seemed likely that his feelings on the matter extended not only to the more sentient creatures in this compound.

Kith sighed.

Rawp?

"I have no idea what you are trying to say," she said crossly, continuing her passage down the hallway.

"But I'd appreciate if you'd hitch a ride on someone else."