He comes back from the pool and jumps up on the bed, not wet at all. Then in his little voice says, "You can call yourself human, most beings would see you that way. I am not even sure what to call you, an Ifrit would work but still isn't right. You are human and infused with fire... I need a library to properly research it. Most familiars can talk, though I talked before. Nicolette, do you have problems with lizards?"
Laying her sword off to the side, she will move with him onto the bed and will lay down. The weight of her armor and its form is more uncomfortable than not wearing it, but the comfort of the bed helps negate that. She will linger there comfortably for a while, but sleeping in it would not be something she wishes to do.
"I am trying not to. I was tortured as a little girl by boys sticking lizards in my hair and such. Ever since I've just not been comfortable around them. I don't mean to be offensive..." "and I'm trying not to vomit as you speak to me..." she thinks as its mouth opens for him to speak. With that dealt with, she looks to Matthew.
"Look at me as an example. Look at my own life when you think of yourself. Am I not the same girl you knew growing up?" she asks him playfully, yet seriously. "I had something happen to me that changed me forever. I am not the same as I was, but I am at the same time. If you don't look at me like I'm different, then it shouldn't be a wonder that I look at you with the same eyes. Right?"
She will reach out to kiss him to alleviate his worry, but she will not progress any further. After all, it would be awkward to kiss someone on a bed in front of a person or stranger. In her mind, Sly was like a slimy person-lizard thing as he was intelligent and could understand what he was seeing.
He looks like he is weighing something in his head. At Nicolette's reason.
At Matthew's question he smiles with an overly toothy grin showing off several rows of circulating teeth. Then he says in his small reptilian voice, "Yes, but it takes time. I will leave you two alone as I work on changing. How about a fox OR a panther?"
He agrees with you starting to say the word, "true," but you kiss him as he tries. Not worrying about the saying anything any more with her lips on his. Then he stops as you don't seem into it and he looks at Sly. Then he tells the lizard as if he should know, "Really! Wait... you seem to be deliberating something, can you change your shape?
Nicolette what shape would you like him to be in? While you think on that let's make you more comfortable." He then starts with your boots and then goes for your chest piece from behind.
For some reason, the toothy grin makes her actually squirm a little. She can tell Matthew is fidgeting with her boots, so she sits up to help assist him get them off easier. She will look over to the lizard to respond as he does so.
"To be perfectly honest, Sly, I don't want to make you be anything you are not. I do not like lizards, true..." she will say with a shiver, "...but if that's who you are, then be yourself. Alternatively, if you just happen to be a fire spirit or a ghost, or a cute puppy in disguise as a tough lizard, be yourself. I'll try to deal with it no matter what, but don't feel forced just because I don't like this form."
She will twist to the side to better allow Matthew to access her armor. She is curious to see how clean her dress is, as well as how clean her armor is on the inside once it is off. She knows it was all covered with black blood previously, but now her foggy eyes want to witness the cleaning purity Pelor blessed her with. She also has not taken off this armor before and since it magically encased her, now that he is unstrapping her, will it once again slide off of her? She pulls at it to come off.
"I hear your words girl, but I know you would prefer, saying it lightly, me to have a different shape. I have my true form but you don't want that. Fox or panther, fox or panther, fox or panther..." He continues to say it as he jumps off the bed and then as the door opens for him he keeps walking.
The armor seems to come off easier than any armor that you have used before but not magically. Matthew whispers, "Whoa!" mostly to himself as he slips the armor off of you. Then seeing that it also folds easily once off the wielder. The breastplate and then the rest of your armor folds into nice piles. "It seems to be made out of mithril, and leather but likely some kind of special leather. Maybe some spidersilk. It is wonderfully made. If only I could get my hands on those materials and make masterpieces like it!"
"Panther then..." she considers, as a fox is hardly threatening, and she's heard of panthers but has never seen one--let alone up close.
Once the door is closed, she finishes helping off the armor. Never before has she seen armor like hers. The fact it encased her was amazing enough, but this made for making life easier.
"It's stunning work for sure. I've never seen anything like it. I don't feel worthy to wear it. After all...I'm only level one..." she smirks, making a joke about how worthless she feels in this rating system.
"Uhh!" she sighs out as she sets down her armor and flops back into the bed. Her hair fans out once more beneath her and she rests her eyes.
"I wonder what Sly's true form is now...Although, I'm more at ease knowing his true form isn't that lizard."
"But remember what that helpful man said most people are level 1 to 3." He says as his fingers brush against your white gown. "Well it must be some kind of shapechanger," he offers as he lies beside her.
"Yeah...Maybe if they see this armor, I'll be like...a level 12." she laughs lightly.
Nicolette is very sensitive to touch, as her sight is not as good, so his fingers tickle her more than most would feel, but she doesn't overreact in a fit of giggles. Instead, she resists the feeling and just lays there enjoying the comforts of his touch with her eyes closed. It is only the brief thought of her being speared that causes her eyes to jolt open.
His words weave comfort back into her and she nods. The thought of a talking lizard begins to fade, and now she is looking forward to feeling how soft a panther is.
He crawls up to beside you and gives you a quick kiss. Unless you snag him with a kiss, hug, or grab him, he moves away faster than before. He says, "I am going to soak in my bath!" and in moments you hear the movement of water.
The day slowly drifts away with the two of you enjoying each other's company, one way or another. There is actually a window that looks out onto a market place but you are sure it is an illusion or projection. Night comes upon it within a few hours.
At one point you would wake up and a warm black fur blanket is on your feet, then it moves its tail...
The next day, breakfast wakes you up with its glorious smell of sizzling meat. Loarin likely cooked and several platters are waiting to be uncovered. He reads a book as he waits for the two of you to rise.
Nicolette will be shocked as she gets a quick kiss (as her eyes were closed), but he will see a huge smile on her face communicating that she liked it as he pounces off the bed. She will chuckle to herself and curl up on her side to lay there comfortably while she is able to watch him enjoy his bath.
She will remain there for about ten minutes relaxing and thinking about what lies before her before she will slowly rise with her hand over her chest as if some thought troubled her. Shaking it loose, she will slowly move to sit upon the edge of the bed and will stretch.
"I am going to see about some food, maybe something to drink, and then I think I will do some reading."
The prophecy she had weighs on her and she thinks to the Displacer roaming the cathedral. Could it become a friend? Was it all in her head? She will leave Matthew there in the bath, will leave the room without her armor or weapons, just like in her vision, and will go to get some food and most importantly, a glass of milk.
You walk around and find a door. Opening it you see a kitchen behind it.
After making something to eat, you look in a few of the drawers finding a nice large bottle. Also in the fridge was milk.
She will make herself a small sandwich and will eat it there in the kitchen. It takes her a lot longer to find a nice large bottle than most would. At first her eyes thought they were something else, but sure they would have them, she continues and searches again. Eventually, she sees them and grumbles over the fact she had passed them over.
Closing all 20 of the cupboards, she now takes the bottle and fills it with some milk. She will drink a tiny bit to fill her stomach and to get the bottle down to the level she recalls seeing it at in her vision. She then will clean up and take her bottle and head down into the maze where she had seen the beast. Now and again, her hand will waft over the top of the bottle to send the scent of milk out into the hallway as bait.
"This is incredibly stupid. I have no-one to help me this time. No-one except you Pelor. My only hope is that, like Sly, not everything down there was evil. I can do this..."
Before you know it the large feline beast is there beside you. Its side has blood upon it, an open wound. Its face turns and looks upon you, glowing green eyes of flame and a mouth full of sharp needle like teeth that slowly widens.
Its tongue lashes out and pulls the bottle to its mouth with your hands. Though as the bottle is big enough your hands don't come in contact with its teeth.
It purrs and begins to rub against you. You hear glass shatter and a scream in the far distance. Once it finishes the bottle the tongue expels it to the ground or to your hands if you still held it.
In a screeching woman's voice the words slowly rattle out, "you risk much, even more as the milk didn't have your blood in it. I like the fear upon you but that won't do. Bring me more milk tomorrow so that I cant hurt you... then we can talk." It purrs some more and slowly pads away.
Just as she foresaw, the beast appears. She holds out the bottle to it and tries to be brave. She will gasp in shock as it yanks her closer. There, her dull eyes stare fully into the green eyes of flame as she upends the bottle for the beast.
She looks over its body and the glistening blood at its side. She hears the glass shatter in the distance and the scream. Obviously the witch looking woman from her vision. Will she still be there when Nicolette hunts her down?
First things first. The large beast seems affectionate for a moment and then in the woman's words she is threatened.
Without permission, she will reach out as it pads away and will heal it fearlessly.
The feline would have purred more as you healed it. Still at the end it will leave. Waiting for another night.