The Park by the Duck Pond, Early Wednesday Morning

[notarockharpist]

A few days ago -- or maybe a couple of weeks, she wasn't really sure -- Yasha had dreamt of thunderstorms across the causeway, calling to her; taking that as a sign that she would be able to leave at least for a while, she'd gone to go test out that theory and discovered she was right.

It was just before dawn when she returned to the island; she didn't have any more answers about the gap in her memory than she'd had when she left, but she was still drawn back here by some force or impulse she couldn't quite put a finger on. Maybe it was the Stormlord's guidance, maybe she was starting to develop a bit of a fondness for this place and even some of the people in it despite her best efforts to the contrary, maybe it was because she knew she could get back to Exandria from here to meet up with the Mighty Nein, if they needed her. Whatever the reason, and she didn't care much to dig too deeply into it, here she was. Again.

She had no interest yet in going back to the little hotel cabin she refused to think of as home. Besides, the sun would be coming up any moment now... and she could hardly pass up the opportunity to watch as it did. The colors of the sunrise hadn't yet stopped amazing her, at least not here or in the Empire, or on the Menagerie Coast, or out on the Lucidian Ocean. Anywhere that wasn't the dull, muted, lifeless wastes of Xhorhas, really, the sunrise was beautiful and full of color, and as tended to be the case with beautiful things Yasha really just couldn't get enough of it. (Even if the colors did sometimes remind her a little too vividly of Mollymauk.)

So she made her way to the park, pausing just long enough to pluck a handful of blossoms from a cluster of forget-me-nots near the pond, then sat down on a bench, looking toward the horizon with a wistful expression on her face as she half-absently braided the flowers into her hair.

Several stray cats clustered around her feet, purring. They probably sensed that she was not the type to withhold pets and scritches, and they were correct about that.

[OOC: Gasp. I'm trying to do a thing. Sorry about the Extra in this post, but I'm coping with my feelings about the fucking heartbreaking cover art for this girl's upcoming backstory graphic novel. Anyway, expecting someone, but also open. When I wake up.]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer did not assume Audrey, or any other part of Duke's mad universe, was going to magically fall into the duck pond. It seemed extremely unlikely.

But he found himself strolling there regardless, morbidly curious. It was early in the morning for his tastes, but then again, it wasn't like sleep had been especially restful recently, either.

And found himself staring at the cats, instead. "You know you have no idea where those have been," he called.

[notarockharpist]

It took Yasha a moment, occupied as she was by the cats' demands for attention, but she looked up with a quizzical frown.

"I can't exactly ask them," she said in a tone that was either deadpan or absolutely serious, with a neutral expression that didn't give a hint one way or the other.

Rats were one of her favorite foods and she considered live insects a delicacy, so wherever the cats had been -- especially since she had no intention of eating them -- probably wouldn't bother her that much.

[my_own_advocate]

"So I would usually advise not touching them just to be sure," Lucifer added. "Unless you're particularly eager to suffer that feline brand of disdain."

[notarockharpist]

The cat that had just climbed up into Yasha's lap yowled indignantly, almost like it was offended.

"So far they seem to like me just fine," replied Yasha in the same near-monotone. (Hey, it was more than she could say for most people.) "I know they have sort of a reputation for being kind of judgey, but I... don't think they're that bad."

Because, again, people.

[[ajklfsdl;kjafdsl;k HEY IT HELPS TO CLICK POST WHO KNEW, they said hours later. -_-]]

[my_own_advocate]

"They're very judgy, you may just have low standards for yourself," Lucifer said breezily.

He paused. "You wouldn't happen to have seen someone fall into the duck pond today, would you?"