From: wicked_sleep	Date: 06/17/2007 14:59:22

Carabosse hated Camlann with burning passion. There was iron on every side, and she felt constantly run down here. It had only been a few days since her return from the outside world. She didn't see Oberon waiting for her at the gate, clever creature that he was he swept up into the shadows and hid from view. No, she wandered right past him following the blue tendril she'd cast to find his memories.

It had led her straight into Camlann. She pretended (and fairly well, given her size and appearance) that she wasn't in fact Fey. She searched for the blue thread, she'd lost it in a crowd at the market in the early hours of morning three days past. She needed to recompose herself, call back her strength and start again. She didn't like staying in this place but her own castle was not safe enough given that Mabb still lurked in the world. Carabosse felt confident that even she was not mad enough to wander into Camlann, even if there was a whiff of her betrayers within.

This afternoon she wandered back into the market. She needed some ingredients if she was going to call forth the thread again and follow it to the end. She didn't like the noise or the smell of the market. Human beings smelled so very beneath her. She was surprised then when she found another creature who was not like the rest of the crowd, a bakeneko. She smiled lightly at the forlorn looking girl and pretended that she was no more different than the knife seller, or the plump vendor selling rabbit stew. "You look a touch under the weather," she said sweetly. "Is it a scam, or do you really need the kindness of a stranger?"

	From: _tama	Date: 06/18/2007 15:43:37

Tama was a bit surprised when a tall, gorgeous woman approached her. The woman did not seem like a typical traveler (it was pretty evident from her appearance that she was not a resident of Camlann), and there was something about her that was distinctly...non-human.
"I'm afraid I really do need some assistance of some kind," Tama said, tucking her hair behind an ear and smiling a bit. "I usually manage fine by myself, but luck seems to have turned her back on me this time around; selling my body to humans, especially of this sort, is usually not something I'm like doing."

	From: wicked_sleep	Date: 06/18/2007 20:26:28

She was glad that the cat said humans. "It is beneath you," Carabosse positively cooed. "You are far better than the likes of these," she added, casting a condescending eye on the vendors they were standing amongst. "My dear, I might offer my assistance, a small debt to be paid later should I need your services. A skillful creature such as yourself would certainly be someone I would like to have around." And she was thinking Puss would certainly be fascinated by this creature as well.

	From: _tama	Date: 06/19/2007 00:03:44

Tama was usually not a fan of having debt; the last time she asked for help in exchange for a favor, she ended up a thief and a fugitive. It hadn't been too fun hiding from, and occasionally fighting, the bounty hunters who were after her head.
This time, though, she was desperate, and this woman looked trustworthy (? somehow the word didn't suit her completely) enough. At the very least, the "services" she would need from her probably would not involve petty theft.
"I will gladly accept your offer," Tama said, her smile widening. "but only if you promise me that I will still have my freedom when I am not serving you. I've tried being a housecat before, but it didn't work out; I love wandering too much."

	From: wicked_sleep	Date: 06/19/2007 00:20:07

Carabosse smiled, a small twisting of her lips, but the most brilliant that her smiles ever became. "Your freedom is not for me to decide. You are welcome to come and go as you please," she said warmly. She turned a bit and decided to say what she was thinking. "I do imagine you'd adore my friend Puss. He's a cat as well, though of another nature altogether. I shouldn't wonder you'd get along marvelously. Of course, I'm not aware of his present location. I've no doubt I'll find him again before long."

She looked down the long street at all the vendors, one eyebrow raised. "What shall I call you?" she asked, before she asked what her new project would like to eat, and perhaps to wear if she felt the need to blend in with the dirty humans. Carabosse hardly bothered to blend; today she looked like a lady of good wealth, out of place on this street in her black satin gown, though she carried herself as if she belonged here.

	From: _tama	Date: 06/19/2007 00:42:32

"Oh?" Tama had met a few cats -- mostly strays -- while she wandered in this world, but none who were very accepting of her. She was sure, however, that Puss was no ordinary cat, if he had befriended this woman; she did not seem to be the type to keep frivolous things like pets. "...I'm sure we would get along, as you say."

"My name is Tama," She said in response to Carabosse's question. "And may I inquire your name, madam?"

	From: wicked_sleep	Date: 06/20/2007 08:15:46

"I am Carabosse," she replied simply. "What would you like to do first Tama? I can get you some food, some rest, or some new clothing, though yours are finer than most here," she said examining the fine kimono the cat-girl was wearing.

She wondered if maybe her lack of a god-child wasn't lending to her charitable nature. She could be very kind, and very giving when prompted. This Tama creature seemed to bring it out in her, if only for being in the right place at the right time.

	From: _tama	Date: 06/21/2007 00:05:33

"I would like some food, please," Tama said, her stomach growling at the thought of eating. "It feels like I haven't eaten in days..."

Though Tama was usually wary of strangers and didn't completely trust Carabosse yet, she did sense that the mysterious woman really was concerned about her welfare. That felt kind of nice, even if she was a solitary creature.

	From: wicked_sleep	Date: 06/21/2007 00:24:26

"Choose what you would like Tama," she offered, extending her arm as if to say the sky was the limit. It really was; Carabosse had resources at her disposal, not the least of which was money. "Whatsoever you like. I'm not very hungry myself," she said. The scent of the humans was overwhelming to her delicate nose and she was thankful for the wide brim on her hat, lest the sun bother her eyes so much that she develop a headache.

	From: _tama	Date: 06/23/2007 15:18:40

Tama looked around for a bit before turning back to the stew stand. "I would like some rabbit stew, I suppose...and some dried meat and bread for travel." She smiled. "And a place to stay, perhaps, which is outside of this city. All the noise is getting to me, and it hasn't been long since I've stepped foot in Camlann at all."

	From: wicked_sleep	Date: 06/24/2007 16:36:50

"Of course," Carabosse said warmly. She ordered stew for Tama and made quick work of bread and dried meat. As for a place outside of Camlann, Cara wanted to find a better place as well. This place clouded her mind and her thoughts. It was the stores of iron underneath Camlann. It was like having a foggy head; her allergy to it made it difficult to function. "Yes. Let us find some place further out of the city.

	From: _tama	Date: 06/25/2007 23:12:39

(OOC: Sorry for the delay x_x)
"Perhaps in the forests around here," Tama said, looking out toward the gates. "I haven't spotted any inns, however...maybe we'd have some luck asking the locals."

	From: wicked_sleep	Date: 06/26/2007 03:21:19

Carabosse was more in the habit of relying on her own skills or magic for answers than she was to ask the locals. "I doubt we'll need their help," she replied coolly. She reached into her pocket for and looked to the sky as if trying to remember something. "Ah yes," she said as she pricked her finger on a little pin sitting in her pocket. She would have been more amused at the irony, but so few people got the joke. She pulled out her finger and dropped a pinch of blood onto the dirty path below their feet. "Lodgings?" she asked, as if the bit of blood could answer her question. From that little spot sprung forth a footman no taller than a small child. "This way ladies," he said cordially and bowing to them. "Our friend here will lead the way," she said genially and smiled. It was a simple and yet sagely complex spell that would wear off as soon as they set foot in appropriate lodgings.

	From: _tama	Date: 06/26/2007 03:28:47

Tama jumped back in surprise when the footman appeared, seemingly out of nowhere -- she'd seen magic before (it's kind of hard not to when one is living in this world) but nothing of this level.
She followed the footman through the street and eventually out the gate. As they walked, she turned to Carabosse. "You must be a very experienced spell-caster. I have never seen anything like that before in my life."

	From: wicked_sleep	Date: 06/26/2007 03:38:27

Carabosse smiled. These days she was more of a witch than a faerie at any rate. "I've had many years with which to practice," she replied, at once both vague and bragging. Her tone alone set how much confidence she had in her abilities (which was a great deal). "Ah, here we are," she said as the footman rounded the corner of the path they'd followed to a pleasant looking cottage set back in the trees.

"Abandoned for some time m'lady," the footman said with a warm bow. "Shall I make it livable?"

"No need," she replied with an airy wave of her hand. "I will take care of that." She opened the door and found a very functional, suitably quiet place. This might prove more than just a temporary home, she thought as the footman melted back into dust and a drop of blood. She browsed around and quickly cast several spells to protect and hide their new lodgings as well as to make it even more livable with comfortable furniture and all the amenities. She smiled. It was a little exhausting to cast so much magic so quickly and she needed a rest. She set herself down on a comfortable chair. "You're welcome to any room in the house," she said to Tama. "And you may come and go as you please. So long as I am in Pentamerone this house will be safe and open for your use."

	From: _tama	Date: 06/26/2007 15:53:44

Tama watched in amazement as the empty cottage transfomed itself into a cozy home, with tables and chairs and lamps -- even a fireplace.
"That's amazing," she mumbled, peering into a room that connected to the living area. There were several of them in a row next to each other, and every single one of them were furnished with a comfortable-looking bed and a desk.
"Thank you, Carabosse," She said warmly, smiling at the woman who was now looking slightly worn. "This is one of the nicest houses I've ever been in!"

Tama picked up her bags from the floor. "I think I am going to rest...it was hard to get any while I was in the forest, and now I'm quite exhausted."

	From: wicked_sleep	Date: 06/27/2007 17:08:20

Carabosse nodded, her own eyes closing wearily. She'd have to make herself write lines later. I will not use so much magic in Camlann. It was like draining all of her reserves, too weak from all the iron to replenish herself quickly. She rose from her chair and found the bedroom she'd intended for herself, hung with black drapes to cover the windows so that no natural light could enter. Her bed was covered in satin and she lay down upon it, falling immediately asleep.