The Forsaken Art

Jenna calmed down a little bit. "I shouldn't be doing this. ANY of this! If they- no, if I...." She wanted to try and explein things. The orginazation. What danger she was putting him in. Her feelings. Even the mission to protect Jaide.... But the words didn't come to mind. All she did was wipe her eyes off on the sheet. The last thing she wanted was to put him in danger or risk falling for an agent, there must be some way to set things straight before he left....

"There's been alot of messed up things I've had to do in my profession.. and I don't want to-" She stopped herself before saying she didn't want to have to harm him. "I don't want anything to happen to you." Finally, she had calmed down enough to think straight. Can't let emotions drive her through this, just think it through. Plan and then act.

Without ever noticing she had formed them, Jenna's wings began to slowly shrink and form into her body. "What would CORE think of this? I don't know what side you're on and after everything I've said...." She continued, still a little hysterically.

In the back of her mind, however, she was bragging about how cleaver that was. Now she'd be able to bring up her mission or end things before it went too far. Her hand gripped the sheet tightly as her eyes starred directly into his, anticipating his response.

Sylas listened to her words, and still didn't change from his kind smile, "Jenna," he said softly, "Nothing untoward is going to happen to either of us. My original plan before being dropped here by Magic was to seek CORE out... after all, with the way the New Republic is going my sisters are... kinda in danger." He then let his wings spread out.

"Right now though. In this time I've known you... one thing has come to my mind... especially so as I watched you recover from the magic you'd used," he moved towards her, with just a single step, "The thought of you in pain is something... I'd rather not even consider..." He looked down slightly before he continued.

"Organizations... rebellion groups... Governments... to me they don't really matter. I was brought up isolated from such things, but no force will change what I'm about to say, Jenna. I want to help you. I saw, until they disappeared you'd managed to form some beautiful wings but that's all I want to help you with." He offered his hand to her, still smiling his soothing smile, "Let me walk the path of life by your side."

She blushed a little. Path of Life? Did he mean.... And what if he was lying about what he said? He didn't seem to act any differently than when she first met him. After starring deep into his eyes, Jenna could find no deception. This was just how he really felt.

"Wait, I actually did it?!" The assassin turned around searching as the thought that she managed to actually form wings sunk in. By now, they were gone. Now that she thought about it, her back did feel a little odd a moment ago. She was so out of it that it seemed like just another side effect of being drained of magic.... Putting all her best thoughts together, she tried to think up something that was more poetic than 'let me walk the path of life by your side'.

"I would have liked to walk the path with you.... But then you taught me how to fly. I'd love to share the sky with you~" Kind-of lame, but she wasn't great at romance anyways. It wasn't ever a huge part of her job... not to say she never had to know about it on occasion. Something inside of her felt like teasing him a little. "Can I really trust you? You're nice, but there's been alot of nice guys that wanted me dead." She moved twords him a little, slightly telling that she trusted him after all.

"How far would you be willing to go for me?" Her voice weakened for a moment as the weight of her words sunk in. "How far would you really go? Would you fly to the ends of the world and back if it ment helping me? Helping CORE?"

Sylas nodded, "If I must, I'll rend human and monster alike if it was of aid to you, Jenna. I'll never go back on my word either," His other hands, and even his wings now moved to more welcoming positions, "But to put it into perspective... I would fly right into the infernos of whatever hellish afterlife the pious are spared from if it would aid you."

With a sigh, Jenna frowned a little. "Please don't...." A slightly worried look crossed her face as she patted him on the shoulder. For one thing, there could always be a shapeshifter coming to take her place. The one thing the order believed above all else was that, even among it's members, everyone is replacable. No exceptions.

But there was another thing that bugged her even more. "Sylas, I need you to trust me on a few things, but I don't want you to give up who you are. There's been quite a few others... they always try to change for a pretty face!" Jenna placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to keep calm before pulling it away. With a glance away, she continued speaking her mind.

"I'm sick of people trying to change for me! I'm sick of people trying to change in general.... I'm a shapeshifter! This isn't how I was born... it's not who I really am! I mean-" A little frustrated, she walked over to the door for a moment before turning back around and going back to Sylas. Jenna put her gentle hand on his cheast. "I like you. But I like you as you, not what I want you to be... if that makes sense. I want you to trust me, there's stuff I really just can't tell you. But at the same time.... If I tell you to murder someone or destroy something, don't do it unless you know why."

After her little rant, Jenna put her arms around Sylas's neck and starred into his eyes with her own innocent looking ones. "I can do things by myself, ok?~" Once more she felt an urge to kiss him, but kept herself from it. "Lets get something to eat."

Sylas nodded, glazing into Jenna's eyes, "The only thing likely to change about me, are my views on certain people." he said, "Save for my view on you~" He then let his arms wrap around her, to hug her, "Food is sounding better by the second," the two arms in his right side let go of her, albeit reluctantly, and, with a thought of showing off, thought to use the lightning he inherited from his father to open the door.

"Ladies first or do you want to save energy by having my carry you?" he said with a chuckle, "I won't mind either way!"

A look of suprise crossed her face as the door flew open. As much as she wanted to learn how to do that, Jenna openly detested the school of shapeshifting that let someone steal knolage. She looked down at her hands for a second. After everything she said... was she trying to change for him? The shapeshifter turned her head away at the thought. Of course not! She was comftrable with herself!

"I think I'll walk. I don't want to make you carry me around everywhere." Although she didn't mention it, her face showed exactly how embarasing she thought that would be. Wanting to look good herself, Jenna put her hand on her hip and walked out the door. "Ready to lead the way, Sylas? I guess I'll have to go with you no matter what. After all, you know too much~"

By now, her strength and mana had returned. She wondered what Jaide was up to.

Meowing, Shee-Mei once again wonders if she should change back into human form. She loved being a cat, as that is what she was naturally, but it was a lot harder getting food when she was in her true form. Her stomach continues to rumble, but she was reluctant to change form just yet.

Instead, she jumps down from Jaide's arms and pads over to the door to the kitchen, jumping up to the door knob, wrapping her paws around it, and with a slight twist of her body, opens the door. A few people who had seen her do this gasp at the sight of a tiny kitten opening a door, but she thinks nothing of it, as she walks into the kitchen, and sits down on her haunches, mewing at the cook.

The cook turns to see Shee-Mei sitting on the floor, and smiles. He opens the door to the fridge and takes out a glass of cream, opens a cupboard to pull put a wide saucer and then heads out of the kitchen, Shee-Mei hot on his heels. He places the saucer down, and pours some cream into it, and then turns towards Jaide, smiling. With what sounded like an Italian accent, he asks her, "So, is this your kitten? Sure is a smart little thing isn't it? Well, if there is anything I can get you, just ask, okay?" And with a small bow, he leaves, returning to the kitchen.

The saucer was very shallow and wide, and with a few moments of hesitating, steps into the bowl, so that she was standing in the cream she was drinking. A young girl that was a table away giggles, and points out what Shee-Mei was doing to her mother. The mother smiles, and laughs as well. As she drinks, Shee-Mei begins to purr once more.

Jaide blinked a few times at the cat who never ceased to amaze her. The kitten wrote again on the table and then decided she wanted to get it herself. To say the very least, Jaide was confused.

She smiled graciously at Jack and waved him over.

"Hey there," She greeted. She pet Shee-Mei a few times. She liked the sound of the kitten purring. "She's not mine. She's pretty smart... and really independent it seems," Jaide trailed off and then cooed, "Yeah, aren't you so smart and pretty? Who's a cute kitty? Shee-Mei!"

Sylas smiled, pulling on the clothes he woke up in before heading out of the door, guiding Jenna to where thew food was, "I'm kinda used to hunting for my food actually..." He commented eventually, "It'll make a change to have pre-prepared food instead."

Jack gave the man touching his shoulder a strange look. What did he want?
He forgot this though, as he saw the cat.
"Hellooooo!" he said to it. "Whos the cootest liddle poody tat in the world!" he said as he tickled its tummy. "You are!"

He then realised Jaide was watching him.


"...we shall never speak of this again."

Jaide noticed Carl mouth words at her in the corner of her eye. She then saw Jack show his more... sensitive side. She laughed heartily and then shrugged subtly, looking pointedly at Carl. She smiled at Jack and said, "Oh, we will never speak of your apparent breakdown whenever you see cute little fuzzy things."

"Never..." She said with a grin and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

When the man moves forward, cooing at her and tickling her tummy, Shee-Mei's heart beat quickens, and her eyes narrow dangerously, but filled with fear as well. The purring ceases, and is replaced by what Shee-Mei thought was an intimidating growl. But all in all, it wasn't much, as she's a kitten. But, to counter that, she unsheathes her claws, and, with her ears pressed firmly against her back, her tiny tail puffed up, as well as the rest of her fur, she bares her sharp teeth at him, and scratches the man's face, who was foolish enough to get close enough to her.

It's not that she hated the man in particular, just that men in general made her uneasy. Growling and hissing, she jumps down from her milk, and hides behind Jaide's legs, not letting up one bit on the hissing. Yowling angrily, she remains where she is, safe behind Jaide.

Jack squeaked.
"Please dont te...ow! OWWW!" he said as the kitten began scratching his face. He was so surprised he took a step back, tripped over a chair, and fell over, hitting his skull against a table.
He got up, feeling a little dazed.
"What...did i do?" he said, a little confused and in a fair bit of pain.

Jenna followed behind Sylas as he entered the room. "Maybe you could show me how to hunt animals sometime. Who knows? I might be good at it~" A grin crossed her face over her flattery. As an assassin, she would already know what to do... not that Sylas knew that about her yet.

The first thing she noticed was Jaide and some other person she hadn't been introduced to yet. They seemed to be giving all thier attention to a cat? "Jaide!" Jenna chirped, happilly as she made her way to the rebelion's leader. "I thought I'd never find you. How did you get here?" Suddenly, she stopped and another thought crossed her face.... "How did I get here?!"

Too many people were showing up, way too fast. The growl deepens in her throat, and a change begins to take place. Shee-Mei's fluffy white fur suddenly shrinks, becoming short, and glossy. As it retreats, it changes from silvery white, to pitch black. Her pointed ears smooth out, and become rounded, and her eyes change to a deep red, and not the normal golden yellow. Her fluffy tail becomes slim, and her small kitten body grows. In a few moments, Shee-Mei the kitten was soon replaced by Shee-Mei the seven foot long, 180 lbs black jaguar.

The tiny kitten growl changes to the low rumble of a large feline, and Shee-Mei bares her teeth, which were quite long and sharp, her now rounded ears pressed firmly against her skull. She was still hiding behind Jaide's legs, but there was little need for that now. The ribbon that had been around her neck as a kitten was replaced by a heavy chain collar, with large rubies set at intervals around the collar. The name tag remained, but was larger as well.

Carl, smirked as Jack, was attacked by the cat. "Beaten by a kitten? I thought Jaide had tightened our requirements." A new presence came in that seemed to know Jadie, which unnerved him slightly. He and his contact had been away from Venice for a day, and two new recruits? Not to mention the fact Cress had been acting rather suspicious. "Jadie can I talk to you in the hall pl...." Before he could finish that thought the kitten turned into a large Jaguer. Give me the wheel Hissed the dragon inside of him, Carl nodded and shut his eyes. When he opened them again they were diffrent, like a dragons. From his throat he released a deep rumbling and began a ancient dragon hymnal to try and sooth the beast.

Sylas shrugged as it appeared thoughts of food went right out of the shapeshifter's mind. He looked over the group Jenna was approaching as he too made his way over. After a few short moments he eventually surmised that he should keep back from the feline. Marneila had told him that his wings were avian ones, and he did not want the jaguar to try and eat him.

"I guess she doesn't like you," Jaide joked, her attention distracted by her amusement. It wasn't until she felt something shift in the air and her shade's curiosity that her gaze landed on the kitten. Or what she assumed was the kitten at one point.

"H-holy shit!" Jaide said. Carl made his way over and started to try to talk to the dangerous feline. Judging from the body language, the big cat was just afraid and reacting aggressively. Really, after seeing the kitten write legible sentences, she shouldn't have been surprised that it could shapeshift. However, her jaw became slack and her shoulders hunched over as she gazed upon Shee-Mei's powerful form.

"Uh.... kitty?" She asked lamely.

Jack sighed, and looked around.
"How about we all just calm down, and leave the kitty alone?" he said, before turning to carl.

"Tightened the requirements? From this angle i can see sixteen ways i can kill you, with my own bare hands. So dont give me that crap."

The song that this man was singing, or other, the being that lived within him, started to calm Shee-Mei down, her growls becoming softer, and after a while, ceasing altogether. And, after that, she returns to her normal kitten body, the black fur of the jaguar returning to fluffy silver, red eyes returning to the oddly colored blue and silver, chain collar, back to blue ribbon, and within seconds, the change was complete.

Small and fluffy once more, she clambers up onto Jaide's shoulder, where she perched like a parrot on a pirate captains shoulder. For some reason, she felt safe when she was around Jaide, that being near the woman would keep her from harm, even though she could turn into some powerful beings. "Mew...." She meows softly, before snuggling against Jaide's neck.

Jenna watched as the cat turned into a jaguar and back. The transformation ment that animal was a shapeshifter of some kind, but was it one from thier order? The thought of animals who could naturally change forms was one she never considered before.... There were shapeshifters that were not part of the order, but how to know for sure. It wouldn't be like a member to show off thier abilities, but.... Jenna glanced at Sylas, remembering how she gave herself away in front of him just a moment ago.

A slight blush crossed her face as she crossed her arms. Was it possible that that cat was better at this than her? "I'm not impressed!" Jenna blurted out. "I've seen better...." At least they had someone who could become a kitten.... That had to be useful, right? Who would ever believe that to be dangerous?

Then, Jenna gave the cat an irritated look. "How do we know it's not a spy?"

-

Meanwhile, Roy was approaching the Czar. It was time to try and fix things.... He faked bumping into the man to start a conversation. "Oh, sorry about that." He mentioned as he looked the Czar in the face. "Wait, havn't I seen you somewhere before? You're that one guy from... uhhh... don't help me, it's on the tip of my tounge...." Dispite knowing full and well exactly who this man was, there was not a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Having done this several times before, Roy could lie perfectly when he needed to.

"You're one of the Czar's top guys, aren't you? What's your name....... I know it starts with a "C" uhhhh......... Cress! That's it!" The fake excitement was ment to show he wasn't with C.O.R.E., dispite that being untrue. No one from C.O.R.E. would be in the dark about the political process and who they're suppost to be fighting.

Jack rubbed his face, feeling blood on his hands.
"I dont know. Just get rid of that damn thing." he said, his pride hurting a lot more than his face.

Sylas chuckled before moving over to Jack and glanced at the wounds before sighed, "Walk it off," He said to the bloodied male before turning to the feline, "I dunno about a spy though... Might just be someone looking for some friends." He said with a shrug before looking down slightly, his stomach rumbling quietly.

Still purring slightly, she purrs louder at the words the man says about her wanting some friends. It was true, she was lonely, she had been living in the wild, alone, for almost a year now. She wanted to be around people, and she wanted to be with friends. And now she found someone she felt safe around, and she didn't want to lose her.

Her own appetite being filled, she was content with just gazing at everyone, her eyes stopping at each person in turn, pausing to stare for a few seconds before moving to the next, her head tilting slightly back and forth as she does so. "MEOW....." She meows loudly, before purring even louder than before. She deemed them all okay, since she was perched on her friends shoulder.