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 Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2023 9:03 pm
The snow that fell from the sky was brushed off of a young woman's shoulders as she hurried to gather up all the components of the project that she had been working on. Using her civilian glamour had ensured that she would not be interrupted but the snow had been unexpected. Sure there had been reports calling for the stuff to grace Destiny City after Valentine's Day but she had not put much faith in the reports. It had been fairly warm since the month had turned over into February. It made the abrupt change to winter precipitation even more shocking.
Wiping down the table in which she had been using had Illyria glancing at the sky with a frown. At least what she had been working on was finally complete and just in time too. There was something to being a cat that allowed her to ferret out information and it was during one of her visits to Orah's apartment that Illyria had found out a very important detail that she had not learned of until fairly recently. From then she had been trying to find the perfect gift for Orah. Birthdays were special occasions and this was the first one that Illyria was around to help celebrate.
Pocketing her gift for Orah into an inside coat pocket did the young woman head in the direction of her friend's place. Before she got there she stopped by a small gift store for a helium filled balloon before continuing on her way. At her arrival to Orah's place did Illyria glance around before tying the balloon lightly to a railing before shifting back to her feline form. Once she was in her feline form did Illyria untie the balloon and held the string clamped tightly in her teeth before making the ascent to the balcony that belonged to the apartment unit that Orah shared with others. Perhaps it would have been easier to see if someone could have buzzed her in but she preferred this method. The idea was to leave her gift somewhere that Orah would find it. It included the balloon but also a small wire-wrapped finger of amethyst quartz with a silver chain. There was hope that Orah would appreciate the surprise birthday gift. Once she was inside did Illyria resume her civilian form in order to stage her gift.
Along with the necklace did Illyria also bring along a home-made card and the balloon. In fact that card was more of a scroll that she had rolled up in order to tie to the balloon. The necklace wasn't weighty enough to drag the balloon down as she gently looped the chain around the tied scroll.
Pausing to admire the set up did Illyria sigh before becoming a cat once more. She would wait for Orah to return home and hope that her gift would be appreciated. In the meantime Illyria chose to relax on a throw blanket that was meant for her. Closing her eyes the feline breathed in deeply before letting out a relaxing purr. All she had to do now was wait.
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 6:45 pm
Work was exhausting. More so lately than was usual. Orah wasn't sure if it was the wild swings in temperature, the phase of the moon, or just some wild set of coincidences that seemed to swamp the E.R. with patients. A couple people on the team had gotten sick, forcing the rest of them to pick up the slack, and to top it all off, she wasn't sleeping well. Weird, restless dreams of something wrong that she could never figure out. The feeling lingered even after waking, hovering in the back of her mind.
She had no idea where this sudden anxiety had come from. Anxiety was the best label she could find for it. She should, probably, see a doctor about it... but after a long day, like today, she just didn't feel like picking up a phone to talk to a stranger about making an appointment. As she entered her dark apartment, keys rattling in the lock, all she wanted was to throw together a salad, eat it, and take a long, hot bath... but her apartment was not entirely empty.
The balloon she saw first and Ida glanced from it to the couch with surprise, pushing the door shut behind her. Oh... it was her birthday, wasn't it? She'd known it was coming up, but with everything going on, she'd completely forgotten it was today. Twenty-seven, just a few years from thirty... and two years more than she had ever thought she'd make it.
"Illyria?" She called, seeing the soft white bundle on the mauvian's blanket. Orah felt herself softening as she dropped her things on the kitchen counter and padded towards the living room in her stocking feet. That anxiety seemed to ebb as warmth replaced it, and for a moment, startlingly, she almost felt like she was going to cry over it. Silly. Her fingers reached for the soft fur and she stroked her gently, folding up her legs to settle on the floor by the couch.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 10:01 am
The feeling of someone's fingers running down her spine had the magical effect of bringing Illyria back to full alertness. She had been in that middling level of sleep where everything seemed like a dream and so had it been possible that she had missed the sound of Orah's arrival due to that reasoning? It didn't matter if she had for Orah was here now and working magic with her fingertips. Arching into one particularly good caress did Illyria blink her violet eyes open at the owner of said fingers before giving the softest of trills before uncurling fully.
Her purr was louder as she took in her friend's state before she nimbly rose to all four paws. She butted her head against Orah's hand before kneading the blanket. The phrase she wanted to say was "Happy Birthday" but intuiting that maybe it wasn't yet the right time Illyria instead walk to the edge of the cushion her blanket was situated on before jumping down to the floor. From that point Illyria gave a few conspicuous licks to a paw before nearing Orah's folded up legs to gently reach out to her friend. Hoping that the young woman would allow it Illyria gently pulled herself onto Orah's lap before peering up into Orah's own eyes.
"I hope I didn't catch you too off guard with the my setup over there," and here Illyria turned to stare at the purchased balloon before continuing, "I just felt like I needed to do something special on this day because it's the first birthday I can help you celebrate."
Illyria continued to watch Orah before her ears drooped just a little. She had been so gung-ho about this little surprise that she wasn't even sure if Orah was keen on celebrating. Bracing herself with her front paws on her friend's stomach did the young feline make the smallest of mrrrt sounds before pulling back. "I haven't misread the days, have I? Or the atmosphere?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2023 7:15 pm
"Oh, no, that's okay!" Orah said as Illyria moved from the couch to the floor, and then up into her lap. It was a natural shift and Orah welcomed it, curling her fingers around her soft little body to settle her there. "I was surprised, but its a good surprise. I'd forgotten it was my birthday today. It was a tough day at work, that's all. This is really, truly, very nice to come home to."
She let herself relax back against the couch and ran her hands down the guardian's back, stroking her soothingly.
She still wanted to cry over it, and she had to fight to keep the tears down so Illyria wouldn't worry about it. She felt like no one else had even noticed her birthday... which was really silly. She hadn't even remembered it herself, and it had never really mattered in the past, when she had arranged her own birthday things. She was sure if she wasn't so tired, it wouldn't have bothered her at all. Oh well.
Gathering up the small cat, Orah rose and went to the balloon, picking up the small gift beside it. "Oh, Illy... this is lovely." She said as she set her down long enough to clasp it around her neck, letting the bit of stone fall onto her chest. "Thank you so much."
The color was so lovely... and she had such a fondness for necklaces.
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Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2023 7:05 am
Illyria's whiskers twitched at the assurances that Orah was directing at her ... placating her anxiety that she had overstepped for the current idea of a birthday surprise. At the beginning, when the plan had been hatched, Illyria had had her doubts on the whole endeavour. Time, and money, had been spent but the reward at the end of the whole process was priceless. Illyria though still swore she could sense an undercurrent of sadness emanating from Orah and perhaps it was for the fact that work was keeping her so preoccupied that she didn't even realize that her day of birth had approached so rapidly. It must be that. It seemed to be a common enough trait that one could experience if they had been facing enough hassle in their day-to-day lives.
As her tiny body was gathered up into Orah's shoulder did Illyria start to purr once more. She had some hope that perhaps the soothing sound and the gentle rumblings of her purr would put Orah more at ease with the other news that she wanted to share with her but was the time right? Was this another birthday gift, that she, Illyria had to offer to the Orchid senshi? Even as she was set down so that Orah could examine the necklace and then decide on putting it on right away did Illyria give a trill that she'd found something suitable for her friend. "I'm glad that you are happy with it."
Admiring the piece that now looked at home around Orah's neck did Illyria sit primly before allowing her violet orbs to track the string that the balloon dangled from before refocusing her thoughts. She would tell Orah the other news. It had to be shared. And the sooner; the better ... for all involved, "I'm actually glad I chose to stick around as I think there's something else that I think I can give you in terms of gifts..."
Here Illyria paused before getting to all four paws in an effort to stave off the nervousness that was beginning to flutter in her stomach like butterflies. Her tail twitched back and forth before she stilled all motion of her body before keeping her gaze gentle as she looked up to catch Orah's gaze. "The other gift I have to give is something that isn't felt with physical interaction ... but something that is felt much, much deeper: something in our hearts has changed. I'm certain of it. I am still shaky on some details but I believe we've bonded."
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 8:47 pm
The rock hung around her neck to make a cool spot on her chest until her skin warmed it. The gift itself, by virtue of being proof that someone had thought of her, warmed her insides. She and Illyria had become such good friends lately and she'd come to truly, deeply value the small Mauvian. She was so brave and fiery, for all her soft appearance, and a strong, dependable personality... Orah admired her for those qualities, and felt no small bit of love for this new, dear friend.
She looked so serious when she said she wanted to tell her something, Orah had to give her serious attention for it. It would have been unkind to do anything else...
But her second 'gift' was quite the surprise. Startled, Orah placed her fingers on her new necklace and her mind jumped back through the last few months, thinking about how they'd grown closer and her feelings had warmed. She'd always thought maybe cats were something you can to have connected to in the past, like Athene and Liryn... or they had to be some sort of instant connection, like Faust and Thraen. She'd certainly never thought a cat would choose her to bond with... certainly there were other, better senshi to bond with...
But Illyria seemed so certain about it. Orah couldn't deny she felt a special connection with her. Was that what the bond felt like?
"Oh wow, really?" She said as she reached out for the small cat, picking her up gently to hold her up in front of her, brown eye to purple. "I think you might be right... that's... that's wonderful! If that's what you wanted, of course." Orah added hastily.
"I never thought I'd have a bond with a Mauvian... I don't even know how it happened. But... I'm glad it happened, if you are."
Hopefully, it wouldn't become something she regretted, when she found out how weak and useless Ida truly was... This bond was something she truly wanted to celebrate, but still part of her worried... could she live up to this new set of expectations?
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Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2023 6:26 pm
At first Illyria couldn't have explained the surfeit of emotion that overwhelmed her small frame after blurting out what she believed to be the god honest truth. She'd been so excited to share why she put stock behind her explanation. But then the startled reaction from Orah was not what she had been expecting to see. Although the Mauvian knew the news she had dropped on Orah was rather sudden and probably quite a shock, Illyria had hoped for more excitement. Instead it almost sounded like Orah was almost unsure about things. Like she was unsure of herself. Even as she was picked up and held up so that her violet eyes gazed into Orah's brown did she simply nod her head in response to the question. Scrambling out of Orah's grip did Illyria attempt to scramble to perch on Orah's left shoulder.
She used her head to butt Orah's own before she gave the softest of meows. "I'm just as surprised as you are Orah. I don't know how it happened or why but I'm not disappointed. In fact, I'm pleased as punch. I've found a stability in my short existence as a Mauvian and part of that I attribute to your presence in my life. Sure we didn't meet and have that instant connection and there's also a good chance that we didn't gravitate towards each other in a past life ... but there's something in this life, this time, that has drawn us together and I want it to stay like that for as long as possible. We belong together."
Illyria dangled a paw to catch hold of her collar addition before being gentle enough to bring it into Orah's field of vision. "I don't think you recognize this anymore but it was something I pocketed when you brought me to Ida the first time. I have to admit, whatever use it might have held, I couldn't unlock the mystery. I chose to make something instead that reflected on who I was with and where I was at the time. A memento. I chose to make a charm that I could thread onto my ribbon. In theory I thought it was going to be easy, but I was limited by time. I eventually finished the process and completed the project and thought that was it. But a short while ago I found out that it did something I didn't even expect. I was transported to Ida ... by myself."
Thinking back on her conversation with another Mauvian who had told her about bonds made Illyria sure on things. "I'm perhaps not the most qualified expert on a senshi/Mauvian bond but I did talk with someone who seemed qualified on the matter and she pointed out what constituted a bond: the ability to sense when our bonded partner is in danger, they're also able to pick up on each other's unique energy signature from further away, and a cat is able to travel to their bonded senshi's homeworld by themselves."
Illyria started a gentle purr. She hadn't wanted to overload Orah with an explanation but it seemed like it needed to be done. She pressed her tiny body against Orah's in a simple, yet instinctive gesture to comfort the young woman. "I'm almost certain we have developed this special connection and I couldn't be happier."
Illyria paused for emphasis before letting her small, pink, tongue dart out to gently "kiss" the side of Orah's cheek.
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2023 3:56 pm
Orah let the kitten go as she squirmed free, a hand against her side to help her balance as she climbed to her shoulder.
"I'm glad you're pleased." She said, feeling emotion welling up inside of her. "I'm happy to. I... I feel the same way.You've become very important to me."
Even with everything, she was grateful for this bond. She'd never expected to find a cat to bond with, or that one would choose her after all this time, but she was glad of it. It made her feel a little less alone. Even more of a surprise was hearing that Illyria had managed to make something that allowed her to visit Ida on her own. Startling, but not in a bad way.
The small lick to her cheek, the fervent tone to Illyria's voice... it made the emotion bubble over and Orah found tears in her eyes, threatening to fall.
"Thank you, Illy. I'm... really happy. You can visit Ida any time you want, you have my permission. There isn't anything there I mind you exploring, and I like the idea of sharing it with you." She said softly, scrubbing at her face.
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2023 9:31 pm
Illyria's gaze lingered on the glistening moisture that was gathering in Orah's eyes. There was a curious tilt to her head as she puzzled out the reason behind the tears formation but figured it was simply because the information was too overwhelming. But she stood firm on her belief that what she had told Orah was one hundred percent the truth.
As she was still perched on on Orah's shoulder and continued with her gentle purring did Illyria sigh wistfully at the words that had been spoken before she gave a soft reply, "thank you for that Orah. I will treasure each visit I make to Ida even if you are not there to accompany me. But I want to share your world with you as well."
She heaved a sigh of relief that it seemed that her gift had been well received and she nuzzled closer into the crook of Orah's shoulder before murmuring softly into her partner's ear, "Happy Birthday Orah. I'm glad to have been able to share this special day with you."
The cat was content to simply stay nestled into the section that she currently occupied before glancing back to the new necklace that was around her partner's neck before nodding silently. This had been a good idea. But still ... Illyria worried a little bit. Was something else going on with Orah? Should she ask and find out?
Even with the bond that had developed between them, Illyria had a feeling that further inquiries into Orah's well-being might be prying a little too much and so she was content to simply give her partner the time she needed to work things out. For now though she began to purr gently, hoping that the sound would further help Orah to relax after a hard day at work. Hopefully it worked.
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