The new arrivals seemed to come in small waves, Chlomaki notices after some time. Though it leaves a sour taste in her mouth, she has to admit she is growing accustomed to the routines here, at least a little. She understands that— for the time being —there is no escape from this place. Though she would consider herself better at escaping than most, she understands that the scientists of this world have managed to subdue vastly more powerful creatures without any difficulties that Chlomaki is aware of. She is arrogant, but not that arrogant.
Since there is no escape… for now, Chlomaki may as well entertain herself— as much as she can, anyway, in this oversized cage. She has a burning curiosity to satisfy, wanting to know the motivations and methods of her captors, the details of their so-called experiment. Part of satisfying that curiosity is observation…
It’s this careful attention to her surroundings, keeping an eye out for newcomers (there seemed to be another wave of them, going by the bemused faces and amount of people looking at maps) that lets Chlomaki spot her so quickly.
Though, really, she would know her anywhere. Nobody is more instantly recognisable, no shade of blue more familiar than the one she spots out of the corner of her eye.
Her heart, her lungs, everything seems to drop out of her chest, sink through the pavement and out of reach. The fur on her tail stands on end, and for a moment she is frozen, ears flat against her head. Oh, yes, she knows that blue, that silhouette, those ears, wings, and tail— though she hasn’t seen it in centuries, longer than she cares to count, this memory is not one to fade easily, as much as she’d tried to put it out of her mind for good.
Elwine is one thing, but after all she’s seen prior to this— she knows the Devil is in this world —she is more afraid of who else Elwine’s presence could indicate. She’s been afraid for some time, now. To encounter that person, in this oversized cage, lacking her own power… The blood drains from Chlomaki’s face at the thought. The ground seems to sway beneath her, and she wants to run— she wants to fly, flee until she can’t anymore, bury herself in darkness until nobody, nothing could find her.
It’s been so long since she felt this trapped or this helpless, and seeing Elwine drives home the nightmarish familiarity of it.
Chlomaki takes a long, slow breath, releasing the building tension in her limbs with the exhale. It won’t be the same. That person may not even be here… yet, at least. And Elwine hasn’t spotted her. Chlomaki has changed, since she left heaven. She is not the meek, timid kitten she once was. She has skill, even without her magic, cunning and wisdom, and she intends to make use of that.
She is conspicuous, with her clothing and physical characteristics— and so she retreats further into the crowds, keeping her eyes on Elwine the whole while. The crowds and the side streets, running parallel to one another, make it easy enough to track Elwine at a distance. Chlomaki tries to stick to the crowds and the shadows, following the blue-and-white figure of her sister until she draws to a halt in front of… a map?
Ah, yes. She’s new. And so far, alone. The terrified knot in Chlomaki’s chest loosens slightly— only slightly. There’s still a chance…
She draws a little closer, worried she may lose Elwine in the crowd.
This has to be one of the most oddly constructed cities she has seen in quite some time. The map is a little confusing at first sight, but after studying it for some time she’s able to figure it out. Her tail flicks back and forth and she places a finger to her chin as her eyes seek out the district she was assigned—there, the beta district. From the looks of it, it’s beneath the second sector which is just such a foreign prospect for someone who has spent all their life living in the sky. Her home was a beautiful one of white clouds, rainbows and marble towers. Living underground seemed like it would be so ugly and dull, but if it served its purpose, it served its purpose. She doubted she’d stay there for long, but it was as good a place as any to begin her investigation.
Her eyes were cast upward, contemplating for a moment whether to take to the sky. It would certainly get her where she needed quicker, and give her a better overview of the city and what lay beyond but for now she would keep herself grounded. She could better see what kind of people this city was filled with from this vantage point, and what all the various buildings that lined the streets were.
Her walk was a leisurely one. Despite being convinced that most everyone here was a hostile force, if they wanted to hurt her they would, if they didn’t they wouldn’t, and any natural end to either of those possibilities was one that she would readily accept.
As it was, no one seemed to pay her much mind. A couple of the younger folk did stare for a little bit (that they were around made Elwine question her assumptions for a little bit) before being impatiently yanked along by what she figured was their parents. The more and more she walked, the more and more this seemed entirely too much effort to accomplish...what, exactly? There were many who wanted her dead, no doubt about that, but there were far easier ways to do that. More likely this was something to do with Fumus and perhaps wanted to strip him of his guard? Elwine felt that she could honestly say she was one of the few who still remained loyal to Lord Fumus, and while others would continue to fight for him they may not put as much....effort into it as was proper. The cat was utterly unconvinced that this was something like a 'social experiment'.
As she began entering the second sector, her nose wrinkled farther. The scent of smog, chemicals and Fumus only knew what else assaulted her senses but she continued forward. The sky above was obscured by the black fumes that emanated from a single building that towered above the rest. From here Elwine could not quite see it, but if the incessant noise of clanging and cranking that seemed to ring out even here on the periphery of the sector was any indication, she didn't think she'd bother with that until later.
What an ugly place. It was understandably but almost laughably more deserted than the other sectors she had passed through. Someone certainly didn't like her if they expected her to live here--and underneath it of all places.
It was in this much emptier place that her senses finally began to pick up on something...curious. She didn’t look around, merely continued walking forward, pausing once before a map to act as if she were reading it. Was someone following her? There weren’t many people, and the noise made it difficult to pick up on the sound of footsteps, around but after fighting as long as she has, both in war, patrols, and her own petty fights, one was not exactly untrained in this sort of thing. Still, it was hard to say with all these smells obscuring her nose as well. She’d have to go somewhere less open to see if that was the case.
So she continued on her trek to the Beta District, finally finding the stairs that descended into it.
