paixaorpg | Close Encounters of the Furred Kind [Completed]

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Close Encounters of the Furred Kind [Completed]

Character(s): Remy and Ahnassi
Content: What happens when a world-class rat chef and a rather feline monk/thief run into each other?
Setting: Vanaheim area, around Actua Are
Time: Early afternoon
Warnings: Remy is NOT for lunch!

Despite the unusually pleasant reception he'd received at the gate, Remy continued to stick to the shadows as he made his way further into the city. Even if people could understand him now, it didn't mean that everyone was likely to be friendly to a rat. Not to mention, he preferred to not get stepped on, even by accident. Some humans just didn't know how to look where they were going...

He spent an hour or so in exploration, even taking to the rooftops for a brief period of time just to get an idea of the sheer scope of the city. It was larger than he had expected... He hadn't been able to imagine a domed city the size that this one seemed to be, but the proof was right before his eyes. He was a little surprised that he'd never heard of such a place. While he wasn't exactly well-traveled, he had spent a good deal of time reading and had always liked to think he knew more about the world around him than most others of his species. Apparently there were still more than a few things out there in the world to surprise him. He realized that he hadn't even gotten the name of the city yet. He wondered how far he was from Paris, and how he had gotten from there to here in the first place.

Eventually, the rat settled down into a quiet corner and began to examine the second item of interest - the journal he'd been given at the gate. He'd taken a brief glance at it right after coming into the city and found it to be an electronic device rather similar to some kind of personal organizer. Initially, he'd given it little attention besides the brief lookover. He'd seen that sort of thing before, although he'd never really had the chance to use such a device himself. Now he tried to get a little more familiar with the device. It might be possible to use it to his advantage, perhaps even to contact his friends and find a way to get back to Paris and his beloved restaurant. It was worth looking into, at least.

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Nearby, a green-robed figure meandered through the city streets, apparently taking in the sights. A small cloth bag was held in one furry hand, swinging gently with the catlike being's motions. The Khajiit appeared to be wandering aimlessly like an awestruck tourist, but in reality she wasn't paying much attention to the artistic elements of the city. Her bag, originally filled with one or two legally obtained objects, was now nearly full of items that were acquired through somewhat more dubious means. Ahnassi wasn't feeling the least bit guilty about any of it, though. The people of this city obviously didn't care enough about their things to keep them under better guard, so it was their own fault that she took them. She, at least, would take better care of them!

This time, most of her stolen goods were food, which generally caused the least amount of trouble in the long run. While people did tend to care that their dinner had been snatched, the usually didn't bother wasting the time finding out who did it. The silverware was a little more likely to be missed, but even that wasn't such a terrible thing to swipe, the Khajiit thought. Anyway, Juro would be happy to find out that she had found lunch for the two of them! She had lots of yummy things for them to try! Most of it was pretty basic, but it was better than some meals she'd had. She'd even managed to swipe a pie off of someone's windowsill! It might have made a mess in her nice little bag, but she'd stolen someone else's kitchen towel from off their wash line and wrapped the dessert in that to keep it from harm. All in all, a good start to the day.

She paused in midstride, her sensitive Khajiit nose picking up a familiar smell that tugged at her hunting instincts. Normally she would have ignored the scent of rat, but this was the first time she had smelled such a thing in the city of Paixao and she was intrigued. It was the closest thing to a normal animal she'd smelled since coming to the city... And anyway, rat meat wasn't that bad, especially for a hunter race like hers. She would have to investigate this further...

Remy thought he was actually starting to get the hang of the electronic journal he'd been given. It really did seem easy to use, at least for someone who already knew how to read. He imagined that the other rats from his family would have had a bit more trouble with the thing, but the journals seemed to be designed to be simple enough for anyone to use, literate or not. Apparently they even had voice recognition, although Remy was content to play around with the normal interface, just because he could. He was able to find a map, some sort of messaging program, journal features, and even a citywide message board. It really was a capable little device, and now that he knew what it could do, he was starting to think he really should find a better way to carry it around. Perhaps the gatekeeper wasn't that far off when he suggested that Remy make a kind of backpack out of it...

The rat fumbled with the strings that had been wrapped around the journal during his wanderings through the city. He'd unwound them so that he could open the journal, and now he was trying to think of a good way to arrange them so that he could haul the device around a little more easily. As he worked, he suddenly had a strange feeling - one of those deep-down rat instincts that were pretty much hardwired into his species as a whole...

He was being watched.

Remy looked up to find the biggest cat he'd ever seen staring down at him, which prompted the most basic rat instinct of all. RUN!!

He leaped away, and then came crashing down hard on his belly as his left hind leg was suddenly jerked out from under him in midair. Something was holding him back, and in his wild panic he suddenly realized that he'd gotten caught in his own string. It was wound around his leg, the journal still connected to the other end. His gaze flicked up again, just in time to see a huge paw reaching for him...

Ahnassi hadn't been sure which was more surprising to her: the fact that the rat was fiddling around with one of the magic journals or the creature's size. He was SO TINY! She hadn't seen a rat that small in ages! It was like a little baby rat or something! Certainly nothing like the cave rats that thrived throughout Tamriel. At least those grew to the size of a small dog. All in all, she was rather disappointed. It would hardly make a decent meal, at that size, and it seemed pretty skinny as well.

Her surprise slowed her reactions and the little rodent noticed her, attempting to flee before she could catch it. It got caught in the strings of its journal, though, and twisted wildly to free itself. Despite her doubts over the rat's suitability as food, Ahnassi took the opportunity to make a grab for it.

A sudden stinging pain in her fingertips was the reward for her instinctive swipe. The rat had yanked on the strings again, bringing the journal zipping forward to smack into the Khajiit's hand. It wasn't really enough to slow her down, but it did surprise her again. For such a small rat, it seemed very clever.

Not clever enough to escape her, though. She grabbed the journal and gave it a tug, pulling the tangled rat back towards her. A smile spread across her face at her perceived victory as she pinned the rodent to the ground with her other hand. "Got you!"

Remy's heart pounded in his chest as he was pressed roughly between the cat's giant paw and the firm ground beneath him. He couldn't move, and he could barely breathe. He twisted his head frantically, trying to leverage himself into a position where he could bite back, or even just see what was coming. As much as it scared him to think about what was coming up next, not knowing when the next blow would fall somehow seemed worse than seeing it coming.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Almost dreamily, Remy noticed some of the unusual details that had eluded him at first. The cat wasn't just big... It was... half-human? Or at least vaguely human-shaped. Its "paws" were actually hands, although covered with fur. It was even wearing clothing and earrings, which was definitely not normal for a cat. It was like something out of a bizarre science fiction movie, but far too real to just be a costume.

It struck him as somewhat unfair that he should be eaten by an alien cat-person, after everything he'd managed to accomplish among the humans. As if his life hadn't been strange enough!

It struck him a moment later that anyone wearing clothes and jewelry, even an alien cat-person, might possibly respond in some way to vocal communication. In his panic, he had almost forgotten that humans could understand him now. There was a chance that they might not be the only ones...

He could hardly summon up enough air to speak, and his first attempt was barely a whisper. As the cat-person shifted position, he pushed against her hand as hard as he possibly could, panic giving him the strength to take a breath and yelp out a frantic plea, "Lemme go!"

Ahnassi had been trying to figure out what she was going to do with her prey. While the rat may have felt as if the world were suddenly going in slow-motion, in reality the Khajiit holding him had simply paused to determine whether or not she was really going to kill the little thing. Another Khajiit might have simply finished off the rodent and been done with it, but Ahnassi was a pacifist and really didn't see the need to kill anything she wasn't actually going to eat. She was mostly just trying to make up her mind on whether or not there was enough meat on the rat to even bother with it.

At least, that was her intention right up until it spoke to her. With wide eyes and a horrified expression, she jerked her hand back as if she had been scalded. She'd never heard of a TALKING rat before! And if it was talking, that meant it was a person! And Ahnassi didn't EVER kill people! That was BAD! "It talks!" she yelped, scrambling backwards and nearly landing on her bag full of food, which she had set aside right before catching the rat in the first place. "Rat is talking!"

The pressure holding him down vanished so quickly that the rat practically bounced. Gasping for air, he hauled himself to his feet, frantically pawing at his leg until he'd freed himself from the entangling string. The cat person's yelps barely registered until Remy glanced back up again and found it staring at him in what looked like absolute terror. He scampered backwards quickly, eager to get out of range despite his attacker's sudden change of heart. It didn't immediately follow, which was something of a good sign.

Remy glanced around quickly, and spotted an open window a short distance from him. He normally didn't try to escape INTO buildings, but this was a special circumstance, and he doubted the cat person would follow him there if he was forced to flee inside. Gathering all his strength, he managed to leap up onto the windowsill and scrambled to the farthest end, still watching the creature that had attacked him. It might go away and leave him alone, now that it had heard him speak. Every now and then, you got lucky like that.

He wondered if he could encourage it. "Get out of here and leave me alone!" he demanded, pointing a finger back towards the city streets. When his adversary moved slightly, he jerked his paw back again, barely managing to keep himself from bolting into whatever cover the house might provide. "Go on! You don't wanna mess with me! I... I've got friends! Yeah, that's right! Friends that, uh... are very good with knives! So... uh... don't you try to hurt me, or you'll be sorry!"

The threat was sort of true, although nobody he knew was anywhere nearby and there wasn't even a tiny chance of one of them suddenly showing up and helping him. Still, it was worth a try.

Ahnassi cringed, her ears drooping as the talking rat shouted at her. She'd never heard of a rat that could speak, but if it could, it had to be a very special rat. Maybe even magical. And she'd nearly killed the poor thing! It made her feel really guilty. She didn't attack people, except in self-defense, and even then she wouldn't kill them. She had made a vow! It was a Very Important Thing, and she had almost broken her word! Even though it had been an accident, it made her feel sick to her stomach.

She felt like crawling away and hiding, which was especially pathetic considering that she was being confronted by a tiny little rat. She forced herself to stay where she was, apologizing profusely instead. "Ahnassi is sorry! Ahnassi is so sorry! She thought Rat was just a rat and not a person! Ahnassi has never seen magic talking rats before! She has been Very Bad and is sorry forever!"

Remy was completely still for a few long moments, a bewildered expression frozen on his face. He'd thought his brief encounter at the city gates was weird... But this was positively ludicrous! There was something really strange going on in this city... And Remy was now even more certain that he was nowhere near Paris anymore. The cat person pretty much confirmed it. There was nothing in Paris like that... Heck, there was nothing on EARTH like that, and that brought up questions even more bizarre. He wasn't sure he was even ready for the answers those questions might give.

At least he seemed to be safe, for the moment. He wasn't about to go running up to someone who had just tried to strangle him to death, but she certainly looked sorry to have attacked him and that was a good sign. "Good, you better be sorry," he grumbled. "Just because I'm a rat doesn't mean I'm some stupid little... VERMIN that you can just stomp on out of sheer spite! I've got feelings too! And I like being alive as much as the next guy... How would you like it if someone came along and crushed you to death for no reason at all?"

Okay, so he wasn't exactly offering his paw in reconciliation. But he'd been attacked quite a few times by people that had wanted him dead simply because of his species, and this was the first time he'd been able to protest it in a way someone could understand. He felt like venting his frustration a bit.

This was upsetting... Very upsetting! Ahnassi felt only as big as a tiny kitten from the rebuke. She'd never really thought of rats' feelings before... And it made her wonder if she'd ever killed another magic talking rat and just didn't realize it. She certainly hoped not! The Khajiit didn't know what to do now. She was just too flustered and unhappy. She felt as if she should make some sort of recompense for the trouble she'd caused. That was the Right and Good thing to do!

"Ahnassi will never do it again, she gives you her word!" the Khajiit promised. She didn't know if the rat would believe her, but she was an honorable Khajiit and kept her promises, so saying it made her feel better. She tried hard to think of something she could do to make up for her actions, and her eyes widened as she realized what one thing she had with her that was valuable. Still crouching submissively, she reached over and seized her cloth bag, quickly spilling an assortment of items out onto the ground. "Here, here! Ahnassi gives you everything she has in apology!" she said, arranging her spoils to show them off better. It was quite a nice little collection of food. She had a large glass jar of soup that had been given to her by some nice people from some place called a soup kitchen. And she had two apples from off a vendor's cart. There was a small loaf of bread, and of course, the best part... Her wonderful pie. She was a little sad to give it away because it smelled so tasty and she had looked forward to sharing it with Juro... But this was more important!

She hoped he would accept the offer as a token of goodwill. It was all she could offer at the moment, bar the robe off her back, and she couldn't imagine how a rat could use such a thing. "Ahnassi was finding lunch for herself and her travel companion," she explained. "It is not much, but it is all that Ahnassi has to give. Eat what you wish and share the rest with your friends."

The offer was, Remy thought, surprisingly kind. Not the sort of thing he would have expected from someone who had tried to kill him. Though to be honest, he wouldn't have expected someone who had tried to kill him to break down and beg for his forgiveness on the verge of tears. If this was a way to get him to come back and let her have another go at it, it was a unique and surprisingly wholehearted effort - not to mention tempting. The rat had to restrain himself from jumping down and heading straight for the food. He was getting pretty hungry by now, but it wouldn't be smart to be too hasty.

"Why don't you back up a bit?" he said and then waited until she had crept back far enough for his satisfaction. She didn't leave completely but seemed set on waiting to see if he was satisfied with her peace offering. Remy finally hopped down off the windowsill and carefully made his way towards the food that had been left. He could already smell that it wasn't poisoned, though he didn't expect it to be. It wasn't as if she'd known she was going to be offering it to a rat, after all. Amazingly, her offer seemed to be genuine. He sniffed at the food, his mouth watering at the smell of fresh fruit and sweet cherry pie. The bread didn't smell quite as good as some of the bread he served at his restaurant, but it seemed fresh enough. The soup was the only real problem, but only because she had left the jar closed. He wasn't sure whether or not he'd be able to get it back open by himself. Lids could be notoriously difficult for a rat to handle.

Anyway, the rest of it was more than enough for one rat to eat. He took a few moments to taste a piece of the bread, nibble on one of the apples, and then break a piece of crust off the pie and use it to scoop up some of the cherry filling inside. It was all very tasty. Of course, the whole time he was quite aware that he was being watched expectantly.

"It's good," he finally announced, starting to relax just a little. She hadn't tried to pounce at him or anything while he was eating, so that was a good start.

"Ahnassi is glad that you like it," the Khajiit said in obvious relief as the rat declared his satisfaction with the food. At least she had done something right, then. It made her feel a lot better. She might even be able to forgive herself now. After all, no lasting harm had been done, and she'd done her best to atone, so she had nothing to punish herself for anymore.

Still, she couldn't help but lick her lips a little when she watched him eat a little more of that pie. The rest of it would probably be easy enough to replace, but fresh, home-baked pies were a little harder to come by. And sweet things like that were her favorite. She hoped the rat liked it most of all, because she certainly would have.

She would just have to be more careful from now on. There would be no more pouncing on small animals, at least not before finding out if they could talk or not. With any luck, that would prevent this sort of thing from ever happening again.

The Khajiit decided that it was probably time for her to go. The rat seemed to be happy with her gift, and she doubted that he wanted her to stick around. He would probably be happier when she wasn't looming nearby making him nervous anymore. She started to rise but stopped when the rat tensed up again. "Ahnassi will leave you to your meal," she explained, backing away slowly. She bowed slightly, remembering her manners now that she had calmed down again. "Farewell, sera. May you walk on warm sands."

Remy watched the cat woman back off and then turn away completely. As she walked off, the rat had a strange feeling wash over him. He'd seen the rather hungry way she'd been watching him... but not him exactly. At first he had thought she was looking at him, but he'd realized after a moment that her attention was directed at his meal. She wanted the food he was eating, he was sure of it. She had practically started drooling every time he took a bite of that pie. But she was doing her best not to let him know that, since she had already given it up to him. It made him feel... almost guilty in a way. Sure, after what had happened, he probably deserved the meal... But at the same time, it was way too much for him to eat. Not to mention, he had made it his occupation to provide food for people, not deprive them of it.

Actually... there was something about the situation that seemed familiar, and the thought brought a smile to the rat's face. He had been reminded of a time, a couple months back, when he'd had another close brush with death and then been given a second chance by the person who had captured him. That day had been a defining moment in Remy's life. It had led to amazing opportunities he had only dreamed about before, as well as a friendship that had become more precious to him than he ever could have imagined at the time. Perhaps there was an opportunity to be found here, too.

"Wait a moment," Remy called out, before his feline benefactor could move out of sight. As she turned back towards him, he gestured at the collection of food. "I'm sorry, but... I can't accept this. It's too much for me to carry, and I certainly can't eat it all... You'll have to take some of this back, or it'll just go to waste. That would be bad, don't you think?"

Ahnassi blinked in surprise, a smile slowly starting to spread across her face as the rat's words registered. At first she'd been dismayed to hear him reject the food... But as he explained his reasons, she quickly realized the refusal for what it actually was - an offer of peace in response to her panicked apology. She would never have expected such a kind response and she was almost too overwhelmed to reply. "It is... It would be bad, yes," she agreed. "Ahnassi will take back what you can not eat, if that is your wish. She is sure that it will not be wasted if she and Juro eat what is left. Then all will be well-fed and happy, yes?"

The Khajiit reached for her bag slowly, noting that the rat didn't really flinch this time. She left the food alone for the moment, allowing the rodent time to eat a little more while she picked up the silverware that had spilled out of the bag while she was laying out the food. The rat hadn't bothered with any of that, probably because each utensil was as big as he was. He hadn't touched the second apple or the jar of soup either, so she added those to the bag. She had already decided to give Juro the untouched apple and just finish off the other one herself, once the rat was done with it.

She also noticed that the rat's journal was still lying where it had fallen beside the house, and she moved over to retrieve it for him. "This magic journal belongs to you, Ahnassi believes," she said, carefully winding the cord up and placing the item a short distance away from the rodent. Again she noticed that he didn't move away, and that small measure of trust somehow made her feel very pleased. The Khajiit fell silent for a moment, then finally asked the question that had started to nag at her in the last few minutes, "Excuse Ahnassi for asking, but... May Ahnassi have your name? Ahnassi does not feel right calling you just 'Rat' or 'you there' if you have a name to give."

"Mmhmm..." Remy had been eating a little more of the food while his new acquaintance cleaned up nearby, so he had to take a moment to swallow before he could answer. "My name's Remy," he told her, once he could speak again. The rat took another bite of apple and broke off a piece of bread and then gestured towards the remainder of the food, "Go ahead and pack the rest of that up too. I think I'm pretty much done." He hadn't actually eaten that much, but he was satisfied. Eating had always been more about the experience for him - the joy of taste rather than simple gluttony. That probably explained why he remained a bit on the scrawny side, despite working in a kitchen where he could have eaten all the food he wanted.

Very soon, he was going to have to find out if there was some way to get back to that beloved kitchen. In the meantime, he supposed he should find out as much as he could about this new city and its inhabitants. "So, while we're asking questions, I've got one for you too. I guess it's pretty obvious you've never seen a talking rat before, but I've never seen any big cats wearing clothes, so I guess that makes us pretty much even... What I really wanted to know is what they call you. Your species, that is, not your name, since I'm assuming you're named Ahnassi."

Under normal circumstances, Ahnassi would have been a little bit insulted to be referred to as a cat. Other species tended to do that on occasion back in Tamriel, and it was generally considered a rude thing to do. However, she seemed to be the only Khajiit in Paixao, which meant that she had to be a little more flexible. Cats probably were the closest thing anyone else had ever seen to her species, so could she really fault them for their ignorance? All she could really do was explain what she was and hope that they didn't continue to refer to her as a cat. "Ahnassi is Ahnassi," she confirmed in a rather redundant way, "And Ahnassi is a Khajiit. We are not cats, although many other species do think the Khajiit resemble them. Perhaps it is so, but friends of the Khajiit do not usually call us such things."

Her posture drooped a little as she thought about her people. "Ahnassi is sad to say that she is the only one of her people in this city. The Khajiit are from the province of Elsweyr, in the land of Tamriel. Ahnassi herself is from the town of Pelagiad, in Morrowind province. It is a quiet town, not like this busy Paixao city."

The names that Ahnassi was listing off meant absolutely nothing to Remy. He had heard of a lot of foreign cities, but none of those rung any bells. He'd finally gotten a name for the city he was currently in, at least. It didn't really help either, but finding out what his current location was called was better than not knowing anything at all. "Sorry," he told the Khajiit, "but I have no idea where any of those places are. I'm from Paris... that's in the country of France," he added as an afterthought. If he didn't have any idea where "Tamriel" was, he couldn't be certain she knew anything about his own city.

"I, uh..." He paused, uncertain how much information he wanted to share with a stranger, and then decided he might as well go ahead and tell her the rest. Despite the incident earlier, the cat-person - Khajiit, rather - was proving to be the friendly sort. Remy wondered what his father would say about that... His dad would probably flip out and tell him he was being crazy again. Well, maybe he was...

"Actually, I'm not entirely sure how I got here," the rat explained. "I sure didn't come here on purpose, and I don't have any clue how to get back. I was hoping someone could tell me how to get home, but... Well, this place is pretty weird. It's like I landed on another planet or something."

Ahnassi nodded solemnly at the rat's statement. "Oh yes, this is not Ahnassi's world, either," she informed him. "Ahnassi is quite sure of this, because Nirn has two moons, Masser and Secunda, and this place only has one." True, it was a painted moon on the ceiling of the dome, but Ahnassi thought that if the world had two moons like Nirn, the creators of the city would have included both on the sky. They'd gone to a lot of trouble for everything else, after all. The thought of being on another world hadn't been that surprising to her, since the realms of Oblivion weren't technically on Nirn, and she had wondered more than a few times whether she might have ended up in one of those realms somehow.

She thought that Remy was probably from another world too. The places he named were as strange to her as hers were to him. "Ahnassi does not know how she got here either," she told him. "Many people come here from other places. No one knows how it happens or why. All of them are trapped here, maybe forever. Ahnassi does not know for certain."

The Khajiit wondered if that information would make her new acquaintance unhappy. He had mentioned friends earlier. If what she suspected was true, then he might not ever see them again. That was a very sad thought, especially if they were very close friends. "Remy did not want to hear such a thing, Ahnassi thinks," she said apologetically. "She is sorry to give such bad news."

Remy's mouth hung agape as he took in Ahnassi's words. He couldn't help but hope he'd misheard her somehow... The explanation she'd given him was just too much to take in - too hard to understand. "But... That can't be!" he exclaimed in dismay. "Other worlds? No way back? You mean I'm trapped here? But what about my friends? My family? They're all back in Paris, and they have no idea where I am!"

It was like a horrible nightmare. One filled with traps and poison and cats (or at least Khajiit). The rat had been interested by the thought of exploring the city earlier. Now he was terrified that he might be stuck there permanently. Of course he'd been a little upset when he'd first found himself there. Who wouldn't be? Like most people, he had been shocked to find himself so far from home. But up to this point, he'd always assumed that there was SOME way back. Difficult to accomplish, maybe, but not impossible, especially now that he could talk... He'd just hoped that he could arrange a ride back to Paris from wherever on earth he'd ended up. But if he wasn't on earth, then things had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

Maybe Ahnassi was wrong. Maybe there really was a way back, and she just didn't know about it either. It made sense, at least. If there was a way to get TO the city, then there had to be a way to get BACK, right? He just had to find out how... Even if it was difficult, it wasn't necessarily impossible. With this thought in mind, the rat was able to calm himself down a little bit.

"I don't get it... Why was I even brought here?" he wondered aloud, even though Ahnassi had just told him she didn't know why anyone was brought to the city. "I mean... I'm just a rat... Most people don't even bother with us, unless they're trying to kill us..."

"Maybe Remy is a special rat?" Ahnassi suggested kindly. He certainly seemed very unusual and special to her. She'd never seen a rat anything like him, after all. It was possible that he was taken because he was so different from other rats... "Where Ahnassi comes from, there are no talking rats," she told him, although he probably had figured that out from earlier. But there were other things about her world's rats that he might not know. "Rats there are very dumb, and often very violent. They grow much bigger, like this," she held her paws wide to demonstrate the cave rats' superior size, "and they attack people and sometimes carry diseases. The Khajiit hunt them for food and for making their homes safe, which is why Ahnassi... um... what happened before..." she murmured in an embarrassed tone.

Hurrying past that awkward point, the Khajiit continued speaking, "Maybe it is like Khajiit and cats... You are similar in some ways, but not at all the same. Ahnassi should have known better than to mistake you for them, because she has not seen any normal animals in the city." She wondered belatedly if he might consider the word "animal" an insult, being the intelligent creature he obviously was. She hoped not.

"I guess," Remy murmured a reply, considering her words thoughtfully, even though part of him balked at considering himself so noteworthy that he was worth kidnapping. The rat did have a bit of a modest streak in him... It came with the rat instincts to not be noticed, although he paradoxically loved recognition for his accomplishments at the same time. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, but he knew he was an unusual rat to begin with. So maybe there WAS something to what Ahnassi said, although it definitely wasn't for the reasons she was giving.

"I'm not that different, though," he said, stubbornly resisting the idea despite its possible merit, "All rats are my size, where I come from... Well, about my size, anyway. Everyone always says I'm too skinny. And I couldn't talk before I came here, either..." Suddenly realizing that he'd just discounted the one reason he was still alive, he fumbled for an explanation, "Uh, I mean, not to humans... Not, uh... Not by WORDS, at least. I mean, we could communicate just fine!" he exclaimed, his voice growing a little more agitated as he tried to make himself clear. "I used gestures, mostly. You know... head nods, waving, pointing... smacking their hands with a large wooden spoon... That sort of thing. Like sign language, except... not. Anyway, I could talk to other rats... And I can read too!" he added, grinning when he reached this particular revelation. He'd always thought of literacy as a mark of intelligence, and he was just about the only rat he knew of that read things on a regular basis.

"But... It's pretty weird," he admitted. "I mean, the only reason I didn't talk before is because I couldn't manage it. Don't have the right vocal cords for it. But ever since I got here, everyone's understanding me. It's so bizarre, like the language barriers are just gone. I'm not even TRYING to talk like a human... I'm just talking like I would to any other rat, and everyone knows what I'm saying. I have to admit, it was kinda freaking me out..."

Ahnassi listened to the story with deep interest, not because she was rethinking her earlier decision to leave him unharmed as the rat probably feared, but because his experiences intrigued her. She had been impressed with his other abilities, too. The Khajiit had never heard of another rat reading books or making itself understood through gestures. Surely he was a special rat, even if he didn't think he was! His words also confirmed some of her earlier suspicions. This was indeed a deeply magical city... It could even make rats talk!

"Ahnassi thinks that great magic has been done to Remy," she said, but in a wondrous tone, not an ominous one. "It is giving you new opportunities here in this magic city of Paixao. Perhaps it is a gift. Ahnassi does not know for certain. There are many things here in this place that she does not yet understand. But this city does not seem so bad. Maybe good things can also happen here."

The Khajiit smiled, rocking back and forth on her feet slightly to keep them from cramping up from the crouch she was still in. "It is sad to be away from good friends, but Remy can make new friends here, too. Ahnassi..." she paused, almost shyly, before continuing. "She is very happy to have met Remy and enjoys talking to you. Ahnassi would like it very much if she can call Remy her friend."

The rat eyed Ahnassi, a little amused by her way of requesting his friendship. He wasn't used to people ASKING to be his friend. He'd always thought of friendship as something that just happened when you spent a lot of time with people and enjoyed their companionship, not really something you had to get permission for. He wasn't about to turn the Khajiit down, though. She'd turned out to be good company, and a rat could use all the allies he could get!

"Yeah, sure," he told her. "I wouldn't mind being your friend... Maybe we'll see each other around the city every now and then. I'll try to stay in touch whenever I can. Heck, maybe I'll treat YOU to dinner next time." Remy gave his new friend a grin, "I'll have to see if I can take over a kitchen somewhere and cook you up something fancy."

Ahnassi giggled at the suggestion, thinking that he was joking with her, "Now Remy is being silly. But Ahnassi is happy for the offer." She was glad that he had agreed to be her friend, too. He was a very nice person, and now he was her first official friend in the city! Juro had been close, but since she wasn't sure he really thought of her as an actual friend yet, he missed out on this special honor. She hoped that Remy really would come and see her sometimes. She liked it when friends came to visit her. "Ahnassi does not have a house yet," she told the rat, "but when she gets one, her friend Remy will be welcome to come visit anytime."

She suddenly had another wonderful idea and bounced happily as she exclaimed, "Oh! There is something else! Remy can send Ahnassi messages whenever he likes, too!" She pulled out her journal and showed it to him, "Ahnassi has seen others writing to each other with these. It is a way of staying in touch even when people are nowhere near each other. Ahnassi has a journal and Remy has a journal, so it will work for us too!"

"Oh yeah, I saw that," Remy said, glancing over at where Ahnassi had set his journal down. "I was checking out some of the things they could do right before you, uh... met me." He tactfully decided not to bring up the scuffle again. No reason to make any more of a fuss over it, now that everything had been rectified, after all. "Seemed pretty useful. Guess now I have one more reason to carry it around with me."

The rat gave Ahnassi a smile, "Well... If you find out anything new about this city, how we got here, or how we can get back home, be sure to pass a message along. I'm always up for some friendly conversation as well."

"Certainly!" the Khajiit nodded vigorously, "Ahnassi will do so. It has been very nice making new friends today. Ahnassi will be very happy if Remy writes to her too, sometimes. Oh! And if Ahnassi sees any more rats, she will tell you about them right away, so Remy can find out if they are his friends." Maybe other animals too, she added to herself. It wouldn't hurt to play it safe from now on. For all she knew, she might run into some kind of talking bird next...

She put her journal back and stood up, remembering that, as much as she was enjoying her conversation, she had someone else to find. "Now, Ahnassi will be going," she told Remy. "Juro will be waiting for Ahnassi to return with dinner, and he might be cranky if she delays too much longer." She grinned to indicate she was joking, although in the kamaitachi's case, it probably wasn't that far from the truth. "Have pleasant travels, friend Remy. We will meet again soon."

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Close Encounters of the Furred Kind [Completed]

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