A Lazy Day (Cheshire)

[aella]

It was a laid-back, relaxing day. The sun was shining, and it was pleasantly warm outside. Not too warm, not really like spring or summer, but warm just the same, for a winter’s day. The problem was that Aella didn’t like easygoing. She didn’t like lazy. She enjoyed energy, whether it came in the form of a challenge, or simply some kind of busy work. Today, though, was a day for neither of those, and it bothered her. Even the weather couldn’t be interesting; the sun shining down from a bright blue sky with relatively no clouds in the air. That was “normal” weather -- no snow storms, no thunderstorms, nothing out of the usual.

It was simply boring. And Aella hated boredom.

The sorceress had tried to find Morgana or Maleficent, because they could usually provide her with something interesting to do -- or at least an interesting conversation -- but for some reason, they were nowhere to be found. Aella’s daughters -- the Maelstrom quintuplets -- were off doing an errand for her, and the “lesser” people that she ran into could only provide her with entertainment for so long.

After a while, Aella had retired to her chambers, but soon found that a bore as well. So, with a certain confidence and purpose in her step, she grabbed some random book from one of her shelves and strode out to one of the courtyards. If she became bored here, there were other places to go; maybe she would even humble herself enough to go to one of the towns near by. Only time could tell where today would lead her from here.

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Note: Sorry if the word count is low (277). I hope it gives you something to work with!

[cheshire]

He appeared from 'round a bend, stroking his tan-furred side against the corner that revealed him. His unfaltering grin and broad blue eyes set themselves both up on Aella. "Hello, princess," he mused in his jovial, rhythmic voice. The arrival of the Cheshire Cat, whether Aella knew of his reputation or not, was surely not something that permitted boredom a lengthy lifespan. And indeed, though he made no show of it, today he had come looking to cause trouble. Such was his way with those he might perceive as tyrants.

Invited or otherwise, the chipper cat padded his way nearer. Of course he would have appeared harmless enough, at the size and with the build of a housecat. But then, he did have such large claws. His sharp teeth were ever on display. He would draw himself within arms reach of the witch, keeping pace with her should she continue to walk. If she stopped, he would stop and sit alongside her. His tail flicked to and fro as might indicate irritation, though such was certainly not reflected in the humanlike expression he wore.

"Such a fine day for a stroll, your highness," he mused. His voice was melodic, sing-song, and perhaps showed a wry sarcasm. Cheshire enjoyed this part of the game - the introductions. All that he had accomplished with Alice and the others by the introduction alone...

[aella]

Aella had walked along the path in the courtyard next to the building, glancing around for a place that she might be able to sit at for a while. Granted, she wouldn't have stayed there for long, unless something intriguing happened; lucky for her, something interesting occurred before she even found a place to sit.

The witch turned as she heard a new voice in the air, but saw no person around her. She was about to turn around again, thinking that maybe she had heard something, when her eye caught on the sight of a cat. At first, Aella barely gave the creature a glance, but then she noticed the expression on its face; the expression that was so unlike any ordinary cat, she could swear it was almost human. Of course, cats were animals, and that made them even less than a normal human in her eyes.

Aella had, in her deepest of memories, had heard tales before of humans shifting into animals. A few of them in particular had always stayed with her mind. The stories of werewolves, of course, but some much less ... gruesome stories, of other creatures, had stayed in her mind as well. As she looked down at the cat, she felt something tug at the back of her mind, though she did not care much to dig it out; after all, maybe this was just a talking cat, and therefore, not much of an interest to her. They were very common in the Nine Kingdoms. Shapeshifters, however, were a little more unusual.

“And whom might you be?” Aella asked. Her thoughts of the creature before her were obvious on her face; her expression was calm and unimpressed, and her eyes were cold. If the creature did something to strike her interest, maybe she would give it a little more thought, but as of now she didn’t have much of a care for it.

[cheshire]

It was fortuitous, then, that Cheshire chose that precise moment to show off his inexplicable abilities. With a flick of his tail, his body disappeared, leaving the only visible part of him his grinning mug. It levitated along at the precise height it had been, bobbing from side to side with each alternate step. He cast his blue eyes up toward Aella still, those wickedly sharp teeth of his still on gleaming display. "Only a madman - or mad-cat, I suppose - and nothing more."

"Ah," he would venture near enough to, and unless stopped he would brush against her ankles. She might feel the touch, though she wouldn't see the body that pressed against hers. "But I have answered your 'who' with a 'what,' haven't I? And but I shall continue to do so. What am I is a cat with a question, an inquisitive feline with a thirst for knowledge. A member of the felidae so bound by a need to know that he has come here and brushed cheeks with royalty, so to speak." The wry smirk he wore threatened to consume his pointed ears, displaying the smug pride with which he regarded his wit. A keen sense of humor was perhaps not something that the Cheshire Cat possessed.

"And as for who," the talkative feline went on, padding his way away from Aella now. His tail abberated its way into visibility, the sand-coloured tip twisting with another little flick. Now a floating head and tail without attachment to a body, or so it would appear to the eye, the cat decided to indulge her question properly. He cast his head aside to regard her, musing on in that same rhythmic manner of speech that favored. "The duchess once called me a cheshire cat and pig all at once. I much prefer to think of myself as a cat, though some ladies might disagree."

[aella]

The witch’s eyebrows slowly arched as the feline spoke. She was truly interested now, which was good; she had been getting oh so bored. How such a creature, as simple as he seemed, could talk in such a compelling manner and make himself -- or certain parts of his body -- disappear intrigued her, and made her want to know more about him. Did he have any tricks up his “sleeve”? If so, what would he do with them? Hopefully nothing to harm her, though if that happened, she was sure she could easily defend herself.

“What is a creature like you doing in a courtyard of the royal palace?” Aella asked the creature. “Usually we don’t pay much mind to animals -- unless they start talking, of course. So you better have a good explanation -- or at least an interesting one, or I could have you dead within a minute.” Without lifting so much as a finger, she could have added, but figured that was a bit too much at this stage. Besides, she was just starting to have fun, might not want to scare the cat away, if her threats meant anything to him.

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Note: Ugh sorry this is so short. This week has sucked the muse out of me.