What the Mouse Saw

As usual, I must beg indulgence for being so neglectful!! So much has happened lately, it feels as though my brain is spinning!!

As of April 27, 2008, I am a happily wedded kittygirl!!  Podruly Peccable and I handfasted that morning, on the East Speirling isle of Illyria.  It was a small, beautiful ceremony…  I don’t think I was the only one with damp eyes, either. 

We held the ceremony, which was lovely, early in sl morning, which worked out well for the mostly overseas guests.  A special thanks though, to those who made it at the ungodly hour of 6am their time!!!  It really meant the world to us that you care so much to still show up.  :):) 

Oolon officiated, and was, as usual, well spoken.  He may be an old codger now, but he’s still the Timelord, and I wouldn’t trade him for the world.  Zealot and Soleil spoke for Dru and I, and it was an honor, really, to hear each of them speak such words for us.  It almost made me lose my natural cat humility.  (almost!)

After we were handfasted, we moved everyone over to the Botanical House for dancing and celebration.  It was quite the party!!! I’ve been walking on air just thinking about it ever since… I’ve found quite a gentleman, and consider myself very lucky.

I blinked, looking at the two constructs before me.  They both had these strange… gardening tools?  that they were wielding, as if to defend themselves from something.  I came to a screetching halt, not wanting to impale myself.  I looked at them, my dragon snout curling up in a smile of sorts.  I recognized the one- she looked very familiar, at least.  And they certainly didn’t seem to have the same feel to them as the others, as strange as that sounds.  I looked at them for a moment, breathing in and out, a small rain of sand dusting over them, and then decided to risk it.  I chanted softly to myself, no longer feeling that strange peaceful eye of the storm that had enabled me to change before, and felt myself shrinking, changing, my cat ears and tail sprouting once more, small claws where huge talons once had been.  I stood before them, a cautious smile on my face, a snow leopard neko… cautious but ready to strike.  For a moment there was silence.  Then relief.

 One of the spoke incredulously.

“Kiralette?”

The one that spoke lowered the um… well it looked kind of like some sort of laser beam hoe/scythe combination thingy.  I’m not sure on the technical name for it, but I like to think it’d have a name like “The cuddle maker,”  or “Snookums,” given to it by some strangely rewired garden loving cyborg.  But that’s just me.

“Yes, it’s me… I just had to lose like 6 of the neko sorts of you guys…. and I’ve heard a lot about you..”  I curtseyed and smiled to Qli 2, who smiled back.  “But um… where are we… and what’s that clanging noise?”

The Qlis consulted, looking around to no avail.  We were about to shrug it off as some strange machinery noise when a breeze went past us all…  It was strangely metallic, and once again got me on the alert.  Goodness, when would we be free of this place??

I didn’t have much time to ponder, a shadow grew over us, the ground shaking with each “CLANK. CLANK. CLANK.”  All three of us looked up, only to see the huge statue that had been in the garden… the same statue, indeed, that I had passed by when i was running from the nekobots.

I looked over, seeing the Qlis raise their implements and shook my head.  This wasn’t going to end well if we were dealing with sonic hedgeclippers, not at all. I took a deep breath, looking at them.  The hot air blowing around us whipped my hair around and made it hard to breathe.  The memory of Koen’s voice echoed through my ears and I felt that peace mixed with rage from earlier.  How I hated this place, and all these mechanisms!! I screamed, my voice lost in the wind and the clamoring, my body growing once more, talons stretching out of growing hands, feet, wings sprouting from my back. How dare they intrude upon my peace once more? My lost screams became very audible roars as my dragon form reared back, my outrage filling the air.  I bent long enough for the Qlis to climb aboard, holding on only the goddess knows how…. and then we were lost in a whirlwind of beating wings, of roaring clanking chaos… we flew around the statue’s head, avoiding his wild swings.  I flew in close, th Qlis poking the monster with their weapons, then back around once more to breath sand and scarabs at it.  I was not letting this go so easily, and I was tired of running.  Now at least I had company once more, in my defense.

(Continued from last post)

 I skidded around the corner, Neko-Qli hot on my trail… My gears were squeaking and grinding, and I wasn’t sure how far I’d be able to make it in this form.  Windup rats are really not made for high speed chases!!!

I turned right, then left, then right again - this place was a maze!  I had no clue how I was going to get back to Hotspur and the Baron, but I knew if I met up with this neko-build in this form I was going to be toast!

I was about to duck into what i was hoping was a broom closet (are there broom closets on space ships in the future?  That’s one to look into…), when I heard him.  Koen.  Not there, not beside me, but in my head.  I felt all this pain, god, so much, i couldn’t see for a moment, it took me over…

My form shifted, without my incantations for the first time.  I was working strictly on my instincts, on my feelings.. all this rage and pain that was filling me, it felt almost as if it wasn’t me at all. 

I spun, flying at the Neko-Qli with a gutteral scream, silver hair flying, my lightly striped furred skin a surprise to me even as I changed.  I dug into the construct with my claws, ears laid back.  She responded in kind, howling, clawing.  until blood flowed.  Still I fought, not feeling the pain of her claws or teeth, feeling only a strange peace trapped within the rage that had fallen over me.  She threw me easily, reminding me how vulnerable I really was to her.  I hit the wall, losing my breath and sliding down the cold metal, growling in pain.  The construct came closer and i crouched, eyes dancing dangerously.  I heard movement, my eyes moving just slightly to see what was going on, only to see a handful more of these things.  Goodness!! Did they just hang around creating Qlis????

I slid sideways, getting just enough clearance, and then hit the deck running.  My heart beat in my ears as I heard them coming after me, yowling and mewling.  I knew if they caught me…

Well it’s better not to think about that.

 Suddenly the room seemed to open up.  I looked around, finding myself in a garden of sorts, with these huge statues.  I considered hiding behind one, but that just wasn’t going to work.  These stupid constru-cats were going to be after me til they got me.   That strange peace came over me again as I turned to look at these oncoming creatures.  The blood rushed in my veins, the Qlis seemed to get smaller and smaller, until it was as I were towering over them.  I roared my anger, and to my surprise, it echoed.  Without realizing it, i had changed once more, to the dragon form I had learned during my explorations.  The Cat Dragon, the dragon of Bast… I inhaled deeply, and released, my sandy breath covering, speckling, and destroying the constructs.  Apparently their wires weren’t build to be sandy.  

I returned to my former state, a silver haired snow leopard neko, and looked around, getting my breath finally.  Without warning the ground seemed to shake..

*Clank.  Clank. Clank.*

When you last left our happy group (Please see Darien Mason’s blog at darienmason.blogspot.com for the rest of the story), Hotspur, the good Baron Wolfenbach and I were hiding.  It looked like an engine room of some sort… all sorts of machinery, gears and the like, all guaranteed to get a cat’s tail caught.  I wrinkled my nose, not liking the smell of… I don’t know.. it smelled like metal.  It wasn’t nice at all though, and it kind of set my hackles up. 

The three of us whispered urgently, trying to figure out what to do.  The Baron wanted to try and reason with them, perhaps sit them down with some tea.  Hotspur wanted to find the controls to the weapons on the ship and blow them into smithereens… but that just wasn’t happening.  We were at a standstill… waiting quietly… hoping for an opportune moment… perhaps the guards outside would get bored and fall asleep?  Who knew… We all settled in, figuring that we had a long wait. 

We were wrong.

 In a shimmer of light, one of them teleported into the room we were in.  One of the (thousands of?) Qlippothics… except this one didn’t look like the others ones I had seen.  This one was… more like me.  Oh great.  They had made neko-build Qlippothic structures.  Just what we needed.  I watched her tail swish as she looked around, knowing her senses would pick us up sooner than later.  She was on all fours, being of the more feral variety, and looked very very agile.  This would be tricky.  She moved closer, I could see her whiskers twitching, her metal tail moving more quickly, the Qli moving into hunting mood.  I could smell the humans beside me, I knew that they’d be like a beacon… I had to do something.  So I did the only thing that I could-

I shifted.  Into a clockwork rat.

 Hotspur and the Baron just stared, disbelieving… I know they had to be wondering what in the name of Bast i was doing… but I knew exactly what I was doing.  As a neko myself, I happen to know that rats and mice are big huge fun to nekos of any persuasion.  And give us a clockwork? Ohhhh heavenly.  I hissed, “Quick… I’ll get rid of this one…. get out of here!!!” 

I skittered out, my claws clicking against the metallic floor.  Oh, this was absolutely not my most stealthy form.  I heard the neko stop, then listen.. I changed direction, scuttled away from the barrells, then turned again, making my movements as distracting as possible.  It got her-  I saw her tail as she came bounding towards me.  As soon as I saw the Neko-Qli I headed straight out the door, right past the guards, who were laughing hysterically at this chase. We were zigging and zagging in the hallway, with me heading back towards the engine room in a moment of disorientation. The Neko-Qli was having a ball, having forgotten the patrol as I skittered and slid across the floor. She took one swipe and hit me, knocking me into the wall. I squeaked and tried to go faster, my little clockwork gears working as hard as they could.  I could only hope I didn’t unwind fully before this was through!! 

I heard the movements of my human companions and turned, heading down the hallway, leading her away.. I was turning the corner with the Qli-Neko hot on my heels when I saw Hotspur and the Baron tackle the still laughing guards.  Now just to get rid of this clockwork kitty!

*a few photographs are shoved into the journal, along with pages of swirling curling daydreamy handwriting….. a very distracted kittygirl indeed!*

I can’t believe this has happened!!  Slowly, without me really realizing it, I’ve settled into something so comfortable, so happy…

After a time of courting, after spending so much time together dancing, talking, exploring, Mr. Podruly Peccable has asked me to partner with him– and of course, how could I say no??

(of course ensuing squeeing and bouncing and dancing about being silly can’t properly be recorded by a journal, but rest assured, it did indeed happen)

We’ve been having a wonderful time, exploring these feelings that have been growing, enjoying seeing each other more each passing day.  It makes me blush to think of it, to try and put to words exactly what I feel about this.  I scowl, staring at the page, my mind swirling with such warm fuzzy thoughts, with the images of all our adventures and tender time… and yet, nothing perfect, nothing right, will adhere itself to my paper.

We’re planning a proper celebration, and a dance, to share with all our friends who’ve seen our happiness grow and blossom.

On March 22nd Team Caledon puts on it’s first RFL event — the Cheesecake Auction!  For those not in the know, that means that a group of very lovely ladies have offered themselves up for a date auction.  The auction will take place during a beach party, from 2-5pm, SLT, but have no fear– Team Leader Erasmus Margulis and Auction Coordinator Autopilotpatty Poppy (double checks for typos) will take bids in advance, so you can arrange to bid even if you can’t be there!

 Last year Caledon raised more than 1,000,000 Linden during the RFL campaign.  I don’t think, with Caledon’s recent land expansion and population growth, that it should be so very hard to hit our goal this year for 3,000,000 Linden.  Sound impossible?  Not if you pitch in!

Cancer hits many of us close to home.  There will be a book available at the party, featuring many Caledonians and how their lives have been impacted by cancer.  All the more reason for us to join together and work to raise money for this great cause.

 I’ve volunteered my time to this event, to be auctioned for a date to some lucky person.  I would describe my date options here in detail, but alas my typist was running last this morning and neglected to remember the complete information.  But, I will say, I can promise a lot of fun, and whoever the winner is will be in for quite a good time!  (Sadly, I can’t offer that the payment be in catnip - I’ve already checked with the RFL rules.. and they only take Lindens. However… if one should want to sweeten the pot with a splash o’ the nip… I wouldn’t argue.)

Come one, come all!!!

 March 8, from 11am-2pm slt, at the Botanical House in Caledon On Sea, I’ll be holding my first ever photography exhibit!

 It’s titled “Kitten With A Mirror,” and consists soley of self-portraits.  Come see what sort of things a catnip ridden mind can come to!

There will be dancing, Soliel Snook will be DJing, and fun will be had by all!! Don’t be shy, stop on by!

So… I’m not sure where to start… I was enjoying some of the fruits of my spring planting in Kittyswitch, wondering if i was wrong to pull all the hedges, and if I should add some fruit trees to the mix.  I sat there (in the grass, playing with the blades) considering what to do next — go find some more plants, or perhaps nap in that really comfortably looking cofner of sunlight that has just the right amount of bushes around to hide you. 

I was deep in my considerations and didn’t hear anything until the footstep right behind me caused a twig to break.  I jumped and spun around, my ultrasharp, completely weaponlike (if you’re a potato bug) claws out, the hair on my ears and tail fuzzed out, ready to attack whoever had just intruded on my contemplations. 

My hiss turned into a scream of delight and surprise when the familiar - and not vampirized - face of Koen appeared in my sight.  I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight, then remembered something and backed up, looking worried.

“Are you… recovered?”

He nodded with a huge grin, explaining to me the ins and outs of his father’s antidote in his blood, and how night after night, he had been drinking that and losing the vampiric tendencies until he was finally cured.  I had another question though.

“Uh… Sorry about that whole um… staking thing, Koen.  I didn’t really want to, y’see… I was going to see if the ankh you had given me would help.  But you were trying to make me lunch, I didn’t have much of a choice…”

I looked up at him, admittedly doing my best “puss in boots” look (I was wearing boots, and they were quite cute, i have to say), and he smiled and licked my nose, then pulled me down to sit in the grass where i had been before. 

“It’s ok, Kira, I know you didn’t really want to.  And it’s ok, cuz you didn’t!”

I stared at him like he was saying there was no more catnip in the world.

He laughed and pulled up his shirt, revealing a black, lightly furred, unscarred chest.  There was no mark where the scar from my crossbow had hit him!! Unable to help myself I reached out and touched his chest, trying to see if somehow it had just healed extraordinarily well.  It hadn’t.  It was truly as if his body had never taken the arrow. I was speechless… well.. almost.

“How?  Wha?  When? What on earth is going on?? I KNOW I got you…. I had.. I felt your blood, Koen.. how did this happen??”

He held my hand and squeezed it, waiting for me to calm down.  He even helped by waving a sprig of catnip under my nose.  What a thoughtful chap. :)  Then he began his story:

“I was wandering down in the sub-sub-sub basements of the Foundation… I was bored, so I followed one of the maintenance robots they have, to see where it was going.  For the most part it was kinda boring- there was a lot of wierd stuff I didn’t quite understand down there, but then in one of the rooms I saw this Shiny Red Button.  I looked around it, trying to figure out what it was connected to, but it didn’t look like it was a part of anything else in the room, so I pressed”

 *POOF*

Without warning Koen disappeared!! There was nothing there where he had been just a moment before!!  I called his name, smiling, because I thought for a moment it was just a trick he was playing on me.  But no…. I called all over the garden, and then through Kittyswitch.  It appeared somehow I’d lost my friend again… and this time I don’t even know how!

And that’s how I ended up here, on the steps of the Bloodwing Foundation, waiting for Dr. Mason to get here, so that I can see if he has any clue what happened to Koen.

On Saturday, February 16 Duke Regent Ras and Countess Miss Patty got handfasted!  How exciting!  I’m assured that it was quite the beautiful and loving ceremony, and I would’ve loved to have seen it…

 If i hadn’t completely botched up my times.  So while they were devoting themselves to each other in a gorgeous heart filled event… I was licking catnip off my fingers and trying to headbutt Dru.  Ok, we might’ve been going through a lovely exhibit at the library, but really, the catnip is way more fun. 

But, I am very happy to say that we made it to the party afterwards! It was so much fun!  We dropped our presents off to the happy couple and commenced dancing.  The layout was fantastic– a dance by the shore, the sky full of stars, and at one point, a huge rainbow appeared.  I was very impressed by the way the bride and groom were dancing on what looked like a gigantic cake, which matched the beautiful (and gigantic;)) dress that Patty wore. 

We had to leave early- time zones and “rl” causing problems yet again - but we had so much fun, and were so honored to be included in the happy couple’s magical day. 

Congratulations!!!

 **pictures to be included later if i can find them in my inventory…**

Ye gods have I been bad with my updates!!  I really have been quite busy though, so there’s an excuse as to why I haven’t shared all the wonderful new memories I’ve made. 

Pictures are forthcoming, as I’ve also had some small glitches (They may or may not be operator error).

 New Year’s saw me eschewing the hermiting habits that have surrounded me as of late.  My dear friend Podruly and I made our way to the Ball that took place in the Gaiety Theater in Panzance, where we dressed to match– I as a plague victim, and he as my doctor.  My favorite touch of the costumes we wore were the rats– I had lovely rats in my hair, while he had one to keep mine company perched on his top hat.  They made quite good snacks once we had been dancing for awhile, as well.  Quite the dashing pair we were, I must say.  I was a little surprised though, nobody seemed the least bit worried at having such things in their midst.  It was a wonderful time, and we got to ring in the London New Year together. 

A few days later Podruly and i were sitting in his pond watching passerbys (as at that point we were a hermit crab and a mermaid), when we were rather inspired to wander. I remembered having visited the undersea gardens of Rua quite some time ago, and suggested returning.  That was a wonderful idea- I was instantly reminded how beautiful it really was.  We went for a peaceful swim among the coral and the different varieties of fish.  There were poseballs for mer-dancing, and plenty of places to sit and reflect. 

I spent the next good bit of time fighting and wrangling prims, trying to massage (or beat them) to my will.  When the malaise and bitterness of good prims gone bad set in I contacted my friend Able who was more than willing and um, able, to help distract me.  We set about finding the worst kept secret in Caledon- the sewers- as I am the only Caledonian in existence to have never seen them.  With great luck and skill (and only a little wheedling of information from friends) we found them and had a blast wandering through them.  There was a little issue in prying Able from the opium den, but beyond that it all went smoothly.

Had fun popping into various dances at Winterfell and Caledon, as well as my friend Ender’s birthday party. 

There’s more, but I really do need pictures for them! Oh- one last note-

 I’m trying to sell off the Tea Cozy, located in Wellsian.  It’s a lovely waterfront 1096, so if anyone is interested, please contact myself or Kirawill Collingwood for details.  Thanks!

Now… where did I put that clockwork catnip mouse..?