This whole waiting game was boring. Without any tools or toys, there really wasn't much to do in the palace. Unlike the Solars though, she was harder to keep track of much to her guards frustrations. It was nighttime when the little field mouse squeezed under the door, it had been one of her first skins and her favorites. After checking to see if the kitchen was empty she switched to her spirit form, hopped up to the larder and helped herself to a whole hen and some sweets before heading off to the roof to enjoy them.
Jaeda lifted it's head up and gazed at the constellations. It found Xiuhtecuhtli and Chalchiuhtlique with relative ease. It was attuned to those thanks to the priests anyway. The sky was clear and quiet, and the serpent was free. More or less. It was still bound to Eida, and respected the strength the boy held, especially now that he found enough to maintain his familiar's presence indefinitely. It was good to feel Creation again.
That's when a little creature jumped up next to it, snapping the glowing green eyes away from the night. The large demon snaked it's way across the tiled roof towards the thing that interrupted it's reverie.
That's when a little creature jumped up next to it, snapping the glowing green eyes away from the night. The large demon snaked it's way across the tiled roof towards the thing that interrupted it's reverie.
The little white feline sunk its claws into its prize so that it wouldn't tumble off the roof and gave a warning growl to the approaching serpent. At first she thought it was a large snake, and a potential heart she could taste but as it came closer she could tell that it was no ordinary animal. "Keep your distance," she hissed even though she wasn't sure the creature was sentient.
Jaeda laughed, a sibilant hissing that traveled slowly through the darkness. "And why should I bother listening to such a defensive little kitten?" It circled around the curious thing, dusky coils making a barrier around it as Jaeda watched, tasting the air with it's barbed tongues.
"I think you'll find that I'm not so defensive when angered," she narrowed her eyes at the serpent. Jill swore the creature looked vaguely familiar. "Awfully bold of you to be slithering about here spirit. What is your purpose?"
"Oh now, this kitten's claws are sharp, are they? Adorable." Precocious thing isn't even big enough to be a meal
"My purpose? I suppose that's a rather...long...story. Let's just say that I protect what's important to me and another." The crested head settled just in front of the white cat, tongues flicking out just inches from it's face.
"What, prey tell, is something of your sort doing stealing from the palace?"
"My purpose? I suppose that's a rather...long...story. Let's just say that I protect what's important to me and another." The crested head settled just in front of the white cat, tongues flicking out just inches from it's face.
"What, prey tell, is something of your sort doing stealing from the palace?"
"It's not stealing, it's unsupervised snacking. The palace has gotten rather uncomfortable lately." Her eyes narrowed a bit at the serpent as it leveled on her. "And what, pray tell are these things that are important to you." The thing certainly didn't look harmless but what it didn't know was that it was sitting on a roof over the heads of four Lawgivers so she forgave it if it was foolishly bold.
"That isn't obvious by now? Me. And my little pet Wolf downstairs. Now, why don't you tell me why there's an Awakened feline that I didn't know about tramping about the palace I live in?" Jaeda snaked a barbed tendon out and dug it deep into the chicken, tearing into the leg meat and snapping it up in the blink of an eye.
Jill looked appalled at his audacity to steal some of her hen and proceeded to put herself between the snack and it. "I was unaware there were any wolves in the palace," she said as her tail tapped impatiently behind her as she tried to think of anyone she'd heard of with a title involving canines. "As for myself, well I've been here awhile. I've been inside and out and in every cranny, and I've never seen you."
Jaeda was enjoying itself. Circling around, it tested the cat's defenses, vying for another taste of the meat it stole. "I've been...inside for years. It was about time I stretched out and got some air. I've been under the eye of Chanekeh for too long, now his eye is elsewhere."
Jill watched the thing cautiously as it circled. "You speak in riddles serpent. Who is Chain-Kehoe? The Khal?"
"Cha-ne-que. And no. The Khal's lapdog." Jaeda made a feinting lunch at the bird., scales scraping the tile.
Jill hiss and guarded her prize. "Get your own hen, there's plenty downstairs. That is if you really are allowed inside the palace." She shifted until she was almost on top of the bird. "The Khal has lots lapdog, a real zookeeper that one. I can't say I've made the time to learn all of their names."
"Why? I have my own personal dumbwaiter here." Jaeda hissed at it's own joke as it settled down again. "You wouldn't see that one unless he wanted you too. Lives in the shadows, that wraith."
"Well however am I supposed to know who your master is if he's never seen? You don't make very much sense you know," Jill ignored his joke as she was sure she could end up in an endless volley of insults if she tried tit for tat with it.
"Of course it doesn't make sense, think sideways. My host isn't the one with the leash, he's on it. Who does the little snack serve here? Not the Khal. not the Azuma. Herself? But with so few friends, I don't think so. You enjoy someone's company. I can taste it on you." Jaeda was musing to itself, this riddle game was so simple.
Jill huffed, this wasn't getting her anywhere and she had a feeling that she ought to inform Ruby about the weird snake thing hanging around.
"Alright then, what should I call you by? I'm assuming you're not here to eat anyone."
"Alright then, what should I call you by? I'm assuming you're not here to eat anyone."
It's not that the cat wasn't getting it. She just wasn't trying. Jaeda was hoping for some fun, but other than a game of snatch-and-grab, the serpent wasn't getting much. "That's not how this works. You have enough to figure me out. If you want a name, you have to give me something to work with, kitten. That, or just give me the bird." Jaeda lunged across again, the lengths of armored scales slowly getting shorter as it played.
"Or we play a game of mongoose and snake. I'm more concerned with your intentions towards the people under this roof than with a roast hen. I don't like riddles. Puzzles, yes. Give me something I can put my paws on but talk bores me." Jill hadn't tasted the heart blood of a mongoose yet, but she decided that it was first on her list of things to do the next day.
"Well, if you insist..." Jaeda's tail, a ridged bone the size of a thresher's scythe, erupted from the shadows underneath the cat, catching the bird and sending it into the air. Snatching it in midair, the serpent's fangs gleamed in the night as it looked down at the talking morsel. "Jaeda then. That's the name you need to concern yourself with."
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