wildmage_daine | (no subject)

This all could be a good deal worse, as Daine often reminds herself.

Kitten's not as big as she could be, first off. Not as big as her ma had been, just big enough that there's no question of her being grown up. Which means the farmhouse wasn't completely wrecked when the change happened, and that what damage there is shouldn't be too much trouble to fix.

(Though there's nothing to be done for the potting shed. That's a complete loss.)

And though Kitten's mind and magic seem the same as they've always been, Daine knows enough other folk with powerful magic to help at least keep her hid. They've found a place out in the forest well away from any hiking trails, and Magnus has done a wonder with glamours and other magics to keep folk from noticing Kitten's there. The dragonet (well, dragon) doesn't seem overly fond of it -- she keeps sneezing when she gets too close to the invisible line where the magic sits, and Daine can't quite tell if it's involuntary or if Kit's trying to make a point -- but she's been staying within the bounds of it. So far.

The two real difficulties are keeping her both fed and entertained. Kitten can eat most anything, which is a small mercy, but it's still hard to buy (and haul) thrice Daine's own body weight in food every day without getting odd looks from folk at the grocery store. Worse, there's just nothing for Kit to do out in the woods. Daine's been keeping her company and reading to her, but she can tell the dragon's getting restless. And a bored, large dragon is the last thing the city needs.

Daine's on her way to Kit's hiding place after yet another food run, a stuffed backpack slung over her shoulders and a bag dangling from each hand. It's a trip she's made often enough for her formerly brisk march to have faded into something closer to a trudge (can she really blame Kit for being bored with all this when she's bored with it, too?), but she's fair determined to just get to her charge without incident.

Tired and preoccupied as she is, when a body appears in front of her, she moves to sidestep them with an absent, "Pardon," not even giving them a glance.

[ooc: who wants to meet a big dragon?? Hopefully someone Daine already knows, because tbh she's not gonna trust a stranger with this. But friends and acquaintances are welcomed and encouraged -- especially those who have met tiny!Kitten before.]

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"I'm dreadfully not busy," she answers with a laugh. She reaches, grasping a handful of bags from her. "Here, I'll get this."

"Thank you," Daine says, letting Tansy relieve her of a few bags. It might not make that much difference in the grand scheme of things -- this isn't the first or last such trip Daine will have to make -- but for the moment, at least, her arms and shoulders are grateful.

Still, Daine can't help but feel a twinge of anxiety as she looks sidelong at Tansy. She hasn't told her friend about Kitten, yet. She knows enough of Tansy's own experiences with dragons to think she might not care for the thought of a big one -- even if it is still just Kitten. When all is said and done, she suspects Kitten's smallness is the reason Tansy finds her bearable in the first place.

Well, she won't lie about it; that'd be worse than saying nothing at all. Instead, she ventures, "It's all for Kitten, actually. Darrow's done something to her."

"Done something?" she echoes. The bags aren't terribly heavy, by themselves, but she can't imagine how heavy they feel after many trips, or with so many extras as Daine has. "What has it done?"

"It's mucked with her age. Which is something it does to folk -- I've seen it happen to two-leggers before." Maybe she should have anticipated something like this. Kitten's no more immune to Darrow's nonsense than anyone else. Even if she had, though, she's not sure what good it would have done. She was never going to make the dragonet sleep outside or anything, just in case.

Daine puffs out a sigh. "It's made her older. Centuries older. She's fair enormous."

Tansy frowns, adjusting her grip. "What? How could it have done that?" She's heard of Darrow doing odd things, but how could it possibly age a young dragon like that?

Daine gestures vaguely, as good as a shrug. "Darrow magic. The same way it does all the other nonsense it does, I s'pose." Her frustration is audible; having it be Darrow meddling means there's nothing to do but endure it until it's over. She wishes it was something she could fix.

At least Tansy sounds perplexed, and not outright scared.

"So... She's just... She's still her, right? Still Kitten." There's perhaps a bit of fear creeping in, now, but Tansy is mostly just worried that Kit would have changed, as she'd grown.

"Still Kitten," Daine hastens to confirm. "Just bigger. Still a baby, even, at least up here, where it matters." She taps her forehead. "She still can't talk using mind-speech, and her magic seems to be the same as it's always been. The only thing that's really changed is her size. And her appetite," she adds with a nod towards the bags Tansy's carrying.

"I can't imagine what that's like," Tansy declares. "Having your same mind, but your whole body is different. That must be terrifying. Or, or maybe it's not. Maybe it's exciting?" She looks at Daine, as though she'll have any insight on the matter.