G'raha veeery quickly found out that sneaking away from his sleeping lover wasn't exactly possible.
In a way, at least…
With a goal in mind, after carefully untangling himself from Senri's possessive embrace, he got as far as to dress in a fresh change of clothes silently – picking from his closet a pair of black pants, dark-red leather sleeveless vest and knee-high boots. He brushed and braided his hair while quite shamelessly tossing enamored looks toward his snore-purring mate, the sight only working to make his resolve so much certain. But as soon as he headed for the door, he was stopped by a deep, warning growl and flinched as his eyes darted toward the sound.
"Wherrre arrre you going, mate?" the beast… Onyx growl-purred at him, stepping out of the nest and away from Senri's still sleeping form, giving him a narrowed, suspicious look of too-pale eyes.
G'raha blinked, then sighed with resignation, and somewhat sheepishly motioned for it to follow him outside as he opened the door and then closed them behind them silently. Looking up and down the corridor to make sure it was empty – not much surprise considering it was barely past dawn – he still lowered his voice when he turned his eyes toward the beast and grinned involuntarily at how it looked: sitting back on its haunches and watching him with a curiously tilted head, its long, black tail swiveling slowly with a hint of interest. Its size – even like this – was still beyond intimidating: as on all fours, its head was easily on a level with his heart – and sitting, it wasn't much less. If he was right – and after hearing T'rhasa's recall – and Senri as kit created it as a way to scare his sisters… well, he could easily see how any child would see this as an epitome of a nightmare… though, for him, there was something absolutely irresistibly adorable about it, too.
But – like he told Damon – he always had a weakness for cats… so perhaps that's what was making him feel more awe than fear… Or – like his immortal suspected – it was somehow affecting how everyone perceived it.
"I want to surprise Senri with breakfast," he admitted without shame, resting his hand over Onyx's triangular head and fondly smoothing it over soft, ink-black fur. "And since you're awake, my beast… Would you happen to know what would make him most pleased?"
"Ah…" it greedily tilted its head into his touch as its long tail… waved funnily and G'raha's lips twitched involuntarily at sight. "…food-sharrring, I underrrstand. Imporrrtant in mating. You'rrre a good mate, Rrraha."
"I hope to be," he chuckled sheepishly, then shifted, looking toward the window at the end of the corridor – next to the backdoor of the compound – and frowned with consideration while still petting his beautiful beast's head. "It's early enough that I should be able to swing by a market without many students around yet – if I didn't lose count of days, most would likely be free today and busy curing hangover… So, Onyx, ideas…?" he looked toward it again and grinned at the blissed-out expression on its muzzle.
It is cute, agreed Damon somewhat reluctantly, then sighed. And confusing… But are you sure you should be leaving the compound, boy? The frenzy's far from being over.
As it said, Damon, food-sharing is an important part of mating… or so I've read, anyway, he replied smoothly, then chuckled sheepishly, feeling his face heat up. And a few useful skills that I have… at least I can say my cooking is decent!
"If you wish to blow his mind," the beast purred, raising to all four, then almost making him stumble as it pressed its head into his chest, shamelessly demanding to be petted as it nuzzled against his vest over his heart. He complied easily, running both hands greedily over the ink-black fur and leaning it to brush his nose against its triangular ear, taking a deep breath and purring involuntarily. It smelled like Senri, too, if there was a distinctive, lovely difference: the tang of his scent a tad more prominent. "Therrre's a dish we loved, but couldn't eat since leaving the trrribe. Tuna Miq'abob, it's called."
He frowned, trying to remember as the name sounded vaguely familiar.
Ah, yes, let me help you with that, Damon chuckled, then G'raha gasped softly as the… well, pretty much the image of the dish, with its description and the recipe, bloomed inside his head with nearly impossible clarity. As if he had the book's page right before his eyes… Silly, boy… It's basically the least impressive thing I can do for you, Raha, the immortal chortled at his expanse. Anything you ever read – and it's quite an impressive amount of knowledge that I'm more than thankful for – I can push to the forefront of your mind like this. It's quite disappointing that you seemingly didn't inherit my memory, however. But I can only assume it has to do with the natural capabilities of the mortal mind, he mused with obvious interest.
Ah… thanks, he said, rolling his eyes. He would have to be dumb not to notice that Damon sometimes seemed a tad… snobbish, but all things considered…
I did not earn the title of the most brilliant mind from nothing, boy, the immortal said hauntingly, and he snickered involuntarily. You can laugh, but I'll put that down to the fact that you can't comprehend how much you're missing out with your mortal mind, Raha.
I can imagine that remembering anything at any time can be useful, he agreed, stifling his amusement.
Very much so, Damon hummed with assent, then sighed when he snickered again. Insolent brat, that's what you are, but since his tone was fond and amused, he hardly minded!
"We go?" the beast purred, nudging him back to reality, and G'raha blinked at it with surprise.
"We…?" he hesitated, then sighed, rubbing its head with an apologetic smile when it looked up at his face. "Sorry, Onyx, but I have to do it alone, okay? The people around the city will likely lose it if they spot you."
The beast narrowed its white eyes at him, and if he didn't know better… he would be tempted to say it pouted. Still, then he was far too distracted when its form… rippled, briefly turning to the familiar liquid darkness, then his jaw dropped when it solidified again… in an as familiar form of Senri's child-like version!
"…better, Rrraha?" the now boy-looking creature purred, wrapping its short arms around his thigh, and looking up with a faaar too toothy grin. He gawked in astonishment… and if he was completely honest, more than a bit of instinctive terror – because as intimidating and nightmare-inducing as its double row of fangs looked in the cat's version… on a child, it was far, far worse… And seeing his expression, the beast now really pouted, its form rippled again, then he breathed a shaky sigh of relief when he had a cat in front of him again, if far smaller, pretty much the size of a normal feline.
Ha, knew it! Damon crooned victorious in the back of his head. It CAN change how it looks!
Still doesn't explain why different people see it differently simultaneously, though. He pointed out hesitantly, and his immortal grumbled an incoherent complaint.
True, he finally agreed reluctantly.
G'raha chuckled at his apparent frustration with the idea he couldn't figure out – and kneeled, opening his arms in invitation, and Onyx took it with a near-deafening purr, letting him hug it against his chest and stand up. It hardly weighed anything to his surprise, curling into his chest before looking up in his face and twitching its long whiskers funnily.
"Betterrr?" it asked, and he nodded, petting its triangular head as he headed toward the backdoor.
"Much better, thank you," he chuckled sheepishly, scratching its ear before freeing his hand to open the door. Then he did dare ask the question that had his immortal so baffled. "I didn't know that… that you can change how you look?"
"Silly mate," it purred fondly, rubbing its head against his hand, before looking toward their surroundings with interest. "I don't have a forrrm, Rrraha. I choose to look how Senrrri crrreated me, but I'm not locked to that image. Only some things I can't change…" it's flashed its far too-many fangs at him meaningfully, and he nodded with understanding, heading down the path leading to the market. "…since he ingrrrained them into my being. Since Damon made it impossible forrr me to go back deeperrr than underrr his skin… I'm glad I didn't lose that ability," it muttered with audible frustration.
"But… Well, we couldn't help but notice that different people see you differently at the same time," he pointed out hesitantly, then flinched slightly when it sent him another too-toothy grin.
"It's quite literrraly theirrr doing, not mine, mate," it replied with obvious amusement, then chortled at his confused hum. "I am what I am, and how those who see me, see me, speaks to the quality of theirrr own soul, Rrraha. Orrr ratherrr how they perrrceive theirrr souls, aware orrr not," it added, then when he downright froze, looking at it with surprise, Onyx returned his stare with an unreadable expression on its muzzle.
"Emotions," he whispered numbly, remembering Damon's lesson about souls. "At first, I was so… guilty and scared when I saw you…."
Damon suddenly gasped, and he flinched at that, blinking rapidly.
It's… Onyx is a being of PURE dynamis, the immortal sounded downright astonished. Like Meteion… if in an opposite way. That's how it sounds, anyway. While she was an empath, reading others' emotions, its literally projecting them back at whoever is looking at its form! If I'm right, negative emotions will make you see the nightmare version, while the positive turn it far more pleasant… to perceive. Fascinating… Do make certain to take stock of your peers' reactions when we reach the market, Raha. It seems our feline friend is a perfect indicator of the purity of one's heart, he chortled downright evilly… and somehow – suddenly – G'raha wasn't that surprised that he saw Onyx in its nastier form. Har, har… remember, I'm STILL not over what it did to my husband, boy.
He sighed, nodding in reflex, then, while scratching Onyx's ear, resumed his walk, carefully watching the expressions of anyone he passed. Soon, even he had to wince at the sheer number of people who looked toward his 'pet' with downright horrified expressions, then almost instinctively speed up their step, very short off running away.
"It's almost depressing," he murmured when they arrived at the plaza filled with stalls, looking around for one with the food supplies.
"This city made ourrr skin crrrawl since arrrival for a rrreason, Rrraha," Onyx purred, then climbed over his shoulders, splaying comfortably around his neck. When he looked toward it, it rubbed its triangular head against his cheek.
The disproportion in power between the students, professors, and members of the Forum is to blame for that, I suppose, Damon mused with cold interest, and he barely stopped himself from nodding along – as it was something he thought for quite a while already – instead moved between the stalls, looking for something matching his goal. According to the list of ingredients his immortal supplied so helpfully, he needed a few things one could find only in Eorzea, he looked after something that indicated a stall with imports. While our people enjoyed pretending that our world was perfect and there were no negative emotions about… Well, Ares's experience taught me quite a bit about how untrue it was… and apparently, it did not get lost in Sundering. Become amplified even, if I can say so… and he sounded so bitter about that, that G'raha froze, pretending to look with interest at the stall he was passing, with choice of jewelry and accessories, he flushed at, remembering his Senri caught him here the last time… and what followed.
You sound… upset, he hesitated at Damon.
The immortal remained silent for a long moment, then sighed, and when he spoke next, his voice rang with that cold detachment he was learning to recognize as his shield.
That memory I found you in yesterday, Raha… The very idea that mortals are capable of something so… heinous, I'm not going to lie to you, boy, it… infuriated me. In our time, children were more bred than anything else… like I was, but at least… they were safe from something so… his voice cracked, and he closed his eyes briefly, feeling his throat tighten painfully. He grew up with that knowledge – not to mention his own experiences – with what monsters people could be, but to learn it like this…? Huh…? Wait… He frowned with confusion while Damon's voice trailed off. …no. I didn't realize… Fuck. Let me take over for a moment…? Keep your eyes closed, though.
Okay…? He agreed easily, though utterly confused, then the familiar push, and he was floating in the back of their shared head, stuck in darkness.
"Onyx…" he heard his voice in a whisper and grew even more confused at the rumbling undertone of a growl.
"Ascian," the beast growled back, clearly not pleased with the switch. Or perhaps not happy with Damon in general.
"Onyx, you don't have to like me, but I have a peace offering for you, beast," his immortal downright purred. "Something, I think, you'll find just… irresistible."
"I doubt you have anything of interrrest to me, Ascian. Otherrr than expelling yourrrself frrrom my mate," Onyx replied with something almost like amusement.
"Truly…? Well, and if I tell you, beastie, that when Raha was little – so little he doesn't even have a recollection of that – there was a man, a Student back then, who attempted to get far to handsy with someone that age?" Damon said quietly, and G'raha started, wondering if he was lying… or worse, it was true. "And he's – that man – still in Old Sharlayan?"
"Name," the beast snarled.
And when his immortal uttered the name of one of the professors in the Studium – that was already on his list because he was rumored to show far too much interest in the Miqo'te students who happened to look especially young… Who, he heard, was part of the Baldesion's organization once upon a time… He would get sick if he could…
…felt sick as a moment later, he was back in control, and while fighting to settle his suddenly queasy stomach, he took a few deep breaths. Then, when he finally opened his eyes, his beast was gone.
Now, let's look for these ingredients, my boy, Damon said innocently.
He almost questioned him, then thought of it better, and sighed, focusing on his search again… and if he was whistling under his nose by the time he found the right stall…? Well, who could blame him? If asked, for him, one less monster in their messed-up world was a good thing. And thanks to his lover – and his beast – he was learning quickly that bringing about the equilibrium this way was veeery satisfying.
You and me both, my boy, Damon chuckled fondly, and he had to bite back a grin before talking to the merchant.