The Nexus Tavern (O//A)

[Py Aster]

His eyes must have been playing tricks with him as Caleb though. What he thought as a half-human entering, he really thought they entered inside. Instead, this person simply peered through the window in the door. Shaking his head, Caleb tried to take the illusions out of his mind. Closing his eyes, he let himself have a moment of clarity. Deep breath... When he opened his eyes, he heard tapping on one of the windows. With caution overriding his curiosity, Caleb opened the door, and summoned a wolf familiar outside. It went towards the source of the sound, with Caleb following behind, drawing out a sword from thin air.

[Turnabout Spaz]

The small cat continued tapping on the window for a short while, until an odd presence was slowly felt. Looking back, the cat on the windowsill noticed a looming figure near her, so she sprang up on all fours and hissed at whatever was approaching her. Hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst, the cat crouched on the small ledge, waiting to pounce. Keeping her hat and tail low, she waited for whatever was coming to make its move before she acted.

[Py Aster]

When he saw the cat person, Caleb spoke out. "Hold!" Immediately, the wolf familiar stopped its advance and sat down next to him before it finally vanished. He looked at the being, and then spoke up. "Well, the door is open...why don't you head on inside, as long as you don't plan on any trouble perhaps?"

[Turnabout Spaz]

Nodding at the strange man's kind offer, the cat hopped of the ledge and moved closer to the door. As she got closer and closer to the light from the entrance, she paused for a moment and turned her head back to see the shadow of a small cat (that is, if small was as tall as half a human's leg). Then she looked up at him and placed a paw on him, allowing her thoughts to be heard by him as clear as crystal. Thank you, good sir. Tell me, do you have any fish inside?
Her black and white muzzle gave a hint of a smile as she felt the warmth of the tavern through the clothing and on her fur.

[Py Aster]

Telepathy, eh? I never mastered that myself... "Yes, there is fish. Perhaps some salmon will suffice?" Caleb walked inside and headed for the kitchen. He then brought out a large bit of salted salmon meat, which he placed on the spit to grill. "Now then, unless you want me to call you kitty, I'm sure you have a name. Where are you from?"

[Turnabout Spaz]

The black and white cat padded over to the man that stood at the spit, and sat down placing a paw on his foot. I changed my name a while back. Scarlet's my name, since I've grown fond of that color, but you can call me Kit if you can't remember my name off the top of your head. And yes, I use telepathy to communicate in this form though I'm not perfect at it, since I still require some sort of contact with the person...
She stopped in mid thought and smelled the air around her. Then the fur on the back of her neck stood on end.
Question... Are there any dogs around? Or hunters?

[Py Aster]

"Mmm? No, I don't recall seeing any hunters. Besides, you wouldn't make for any good game." Caleb said, hand in his hand disappearing. He continued to cook the fish, smiling. After a while, he went into the kitchen. There, he took back a bowl of a special marinade, a ladle and a plate. He slowly poured the seasoning on the fish, letting the concoction hit the flames, immediately releasing the smell of lemons and hibiscus. "Well then, where do you hail from Scarlet?"

[Turnabout Spaz]

It's not being game that concerns me.
The small cat sighed and drooled as the scent of lemons and herbs, struggling to keep a connection to the man while the fish cooked.
As to where I'm from. I can't really recall, I've been to so many places, that I don't even bother trying to find out. All I have to go on is a few memories from when I was little. There were trees, lots of flowers that smelled nice, and a river that held lots of fish.
At that moment, her stomach growled as if an angry bear was inside of the room, letting any who heard know how hungry she was.
And I still want to know if there are any dogs around. I can smell 'em, but I don't see any.

[Py Aster]

Caleb took the grilled fish off the spit and then placed it on the plate he brought. He then placed it on the table where Scarlet was at, and went behind the bar table to get some utensils for the cat, until he realized how large they were for Scarlet. "Umm...yeah...."
He then sat down next to Scarlet "So I take it you're a traveling then. Where are you headed?"

[Turnabout Spaz]

Somewhere where I can settle in and not fear capture. After all...
She stopped her train of thought and moved her paw around in a spiral, causing her shadow to envelop her in the shape of a ball. Within a few moments, the ball unwound itself, revealing a cat-woman about 5' 8'' in the same outfit that the feral cat walked in with earlier, with a silver tome in her left hand.
I'm pretty sure people wouldn't want a split-tailed, shape-shifting, shadow-using cat person roaming the town if they all assumed that I'd cause their dead to walk again, or devouring loved ones. She spoke in a calm, cold voice.

[Py Aster]

Caleb scratched his ear. "Well, the city nearby is concerned only for how much coin you can care to let go." He placed the fork and spoon on the with the plate of salmon. "And unless someone brings a dog here, I don't think there is any." He went back to the bar table. "Like I said, you're free to stay as long as you want; as long as you don't cause trouble. Lodging, food, and drink is free, but if you want a blade, well-." Caleb chuckled as he pulled out the sword Hrunting out of nowhere, which is odd since the sword on display is still there. "We can talk about a price."

[Turnabout Spaz]

A weapon? She scratched her ear.
But I've been fine without a weapon. As she said that, her paws glowed an eerie purple-black as two person-sized shadow paws appeared from the ground.
See?

[Py Aster]

"Ok, but if you ever change your mind." Caleb released the weapon from his hand. The way he released it should've made the blade fall down on its side, but this weapon seemed to adjust itself, plunging the tip into the cracks on the stone floor. "I'll be here. I may have a rare one that you only heard in stories in store."
He then sat down. "Though...I used to to think that way...using magic as a solution for combat. Still, always good to have something to fall back to."

[Turnabout Spaz]

Magic? She tillted her head to where her hat sagged a bit.
Um... what would that be, exactly? She looked at him with inquisitive eyes, not hearing of the term before.

[Py Aster]

"Hmm.... How to explain..." Caleb closed his eyes. It was always the hardest question a mage has to answer; what exactly is magic. Oftentimes people just take magic as it is, and leave it as that. This however led to the ambiguity of the meaning, ending up with various takes of what is magic and what it should be for. In the end, he decided on a different approach. "That thing you do...doesn't it tire you?" It was a much better approach, going into how magic can drain one's capabilities, but still allow someone to fight. People still try to find meaning into what it is, but to him it doesn't matter as long as he downs something to recover it.