#curiouschamaeleon

[jynxd]

continued from here

When you lived in Zaun there were many things you expected. Violence was guaranteed to be sure, as it was in most of Zaunites nature. Next was shady deals for shit that wasn't worth the effort. However, the biggest thing was experiencing shimmer addicts, like he'd been that plagued the streets. Most of which disappeared when Silco needed bodies for Chemtanks, or they wound up in the sumps. You also expected to see a certain blue haired loose canon to roam about...

What you didn't expect was someone like Neeko, who left Ekko absolutely in shock. Not only did she confirm the thoughts swarming through his mind, but she was excited about it. At first he had stood perfectly still as she sniffed the air around them. Oovi-kat? Ekko tried to think if he'd heard that word before, but it didn't ring a bell...

The leader of the Firelights, opened his mouth, only to feel her climb on his back. A shiver briefly ran down his spine as he felt her breath against his ear. He couldn't see what she was doing, but with his empathy he could feel her curiosity mixed with the excitement. She must have spotted his scales on his ear.

"Sadly I have no idea what you're talking about," Ekko said with regret as he stopped in a safe spot, knowing they wouldn't be spotted. It was then that he allowed his disguise to drop, revealing his natural skin tone, his white hair. Most importantly, the massive coverage of scales on the sides of his neck. "These only started showing up a few years ago, I don't know anything about it."

Still, there was something comforting, knowing that in some way he had family again. "Neeko, how did you even get here?" @curiouschamaeleon

[jynxd]

Although Neeko didn't seem to be saddened by her loss, Ekko couldn't help but frown. It had to hurt, knowing that her home was gone. As much as was going on in Zaun, Ekko would have been heartbroken if it ended up like that too. "I, too, have lost family before. Almost like you have, but like you, I found a new family too."

Ekko thought to ask more about the shape-shifting, however, that wasn't a conversation to have here. Not on the unsafe streets of the lanes. When Neeko mentioned having seen Jinx, he visibly tensed up, the comfort he felt moments prior was replaced by paranoia. If she saw her, did that mean she was still there? Fuck. "You did good to hide from her. If she saw you, that would have been very bad. She... she isn't a good person."

He shifted to a moral human appearance, hiding away what scales he could. His scales gave him a way with Jinx and as long as he could hide those he was mildly safe. The only spots that didn't change was where his vitiligo was on his shoulder and his ear. "Brother...it's been a long since someone called me that."

There was a sad smile at the memory of Mylo, Claggor, and Vi. They were the last people to call him brother and they were gone. It felt good to have family again. Not only that, but she was like him. "You're wrong, Neeko, you do have a home. Like you said, I'm your brother and that means I'm going to do everything I can to protect you." This time he didn't react as she climbed up on him, something which he assumed was going to be a normal thing from here on out.

The Firelight leader lifted his hood and slipped on his mask for extra protection. "Where we are going, you won't have to look anything other than what you are, I promise." He smiled back at her before making his to where he stashed his board. "Hold on tight, okay? This is going to be quite the ride." Once on the board, he flew high up in the air where the wouldn't be spotted, purposely going to slow so that Neeko would get the view of Zaun.

Neeko smiles at him. "Oovi Kat Island was destroyed many moons ago, Neeko managed to turn into bird and fly away, but Neeko's family wasn't lucky..." She said and looked up at him. "Neeko is last Oovi Kat alive, Neeko thought she had no family anymore and wanted to find new family, but now Neeko found family!! Big brother!"

Neeko had to hold herself back from clapping her hands excitedly when he shifted in front of her and once she did so, she could see him relaxing, not feeling so out of place. As he said his name in a whisper, she nodded once as he said he needed to be incognito, as dangerous people were after him. As he spoke of particularly dangerous people, Neeko tilted her head. "Neeko saw blue haired one! She has braids!" Neeko smiles and nods. "She didn't see Neeko though, Neeko was hiding..." By hiding, it meant Neeko had assumed a random stranger's form, something she often did when she wanted to watch others.

"Ekko! So you're big brother Ekko!" Neeko smiled cheerfully and nods as Ekko says here they hurt people who are different. "Neeko knows big brother will keep Neeko safe? Big brother has home? Neeko doesn't have home, can Neeko go home with big brother Ekko?" She asked, climbing on his back once again, finding it comforting to be close to him, his smell now meant something else for her, it meant safety.

[jynxd]

There was something relieving to actually have a label to the blood that ran through his veins. Blood he inherited from his parents, though, he never remembered seeing scales or any kind of visible sign like he had. "Most Zaunites are that way, the family I had after I lost my parents, they were all mostly cats." Maybe that's why he had felt so out of place most of the time but right now with her, picking up something comforting in her scent...He didn't feel so out of place now. "You're the first one who is like me, or rather I'm like you, I suppose."

Ekko shifting in front of Neeko was an exercise of trust. While this wasn't the first time he'd used his shifting abilities in front of someone, this was the first time he allowed his scales to be seen in full. This was because it was something he was insecure about, always worried about what others would say or do. Not even Scar knew, yet. But she was family, true family, she understood. He understood that even more as she, too, shifted.

"Neeko, sounds sort of like my name." He leaned in so he could whisper his name, like it was top secret. "My name is Ekko, but don't say that too loud. Can't have people knowing." There were a few of Silco's men who knew his name, more importantly Jinx. If Jinx knew he was here he'd be screwed. It was bad enough she made him hunt every time she saw him... The way she made him do things he didn't want to do. So one whisper of his name and she'd know. As such he was depending on Neeko for secrecy. "You do shifting so much easier, does that mean thats part of what we can do?"

"Trust me, the people here are not friends. In fact they are very dangerous and you need to stay away from them, especially if one of them has a weird eye or long blue hair." Ekko ran a hand along her shoulder, feeling the texture of where scales would be. "This is not a good place, and they hurt people like us. Those people...they are heartless, I would know I've lost family to them. But you're safe with me."

Now, with the new I formation about what Ekko was, his smell was way more familiar as Neeko could pinpoint even which Oovi Kat family he probably descended from. She was still pierced against his back when he spoke. "You're Oovi Kat! Like Neeko! Well, not exactly like Neeko because you smell human too, but you have Oovi Kat smell too, here!" She points to his ears and shoulders. "Neeko is smart, Neeko recognizes family!" She nods and watches as he shifts right before her eyes, another smile spreading through her childlike features. "Neeko can do that too! Look!" Neekos scales slowly shifted into human skin, hair slowly turning into the same shade of white than his and her eyes turning into a more green-ish shade of the same yellow they once were, tail gone as she looked pretty much human now.

"What's your name? Neeko is Neeko!" She nods, hopping from his back to stand in front of him. "Oovi Kat only starts showing certain scales after they become adults! You become adult, so now you have scales..." Neeko explains. She knows everything that can be known about Oovi Kats, and she'd gladly teach Ekko. As he asks how she got there, Neeko shrugs. "Neeko travels a lot, to make friends!" She nods excitedly. "People here don't smell like friend though, but you do!" She nods with a smile.