Adina usually slept like the dead. Today however, she jolted awake-- not from the sun's rays that streamed blindingly through the window, but from the icky feeling of something wet and warm against her skin.
She blinked her eyes to find herself face to face with a Caturis, a magical and most curious combination of a wild cat's body with a scorpion's tail and wings like that of a hawk's. She had only seen one from a book way way before, and though their threat level was recorded as 90 out of 100, she couldn't help but to find them adorable.
Especially now that she's seen one in person. Rather than the intimidating creatures they were depicted to be, this particular Caturis is playful. It tilted its head at Adina, staring straight at her with big black eyes before it climbed up on her lap and made itself comfortable. It even tucked its tail underneath its body (their way of showing trust and goodwill) and its usually sharp fangs are retracted so that it had a toothless smile.
Adina laughed. What a magnificent creature! And to think it chose to befriend her.
Gingerly, she reached out to pet the Caturis. Its wings were every bit as smooth and silky as the fur that covers the rest of its body. Its eyes sparkled with a mix of curiosity and joy as it turned and nuzzled against her hand.
"Do you already have a name, little one?" Adina asked.
As if it understood her, the creature tilted its head backward, revealing a green leather collar around its neck with a small golden pendant. Adina carefully took it off and turned it over, but both sides of it were blank.
"Hmm...no name. What if I give you your name instead?"
The Caturis stood up and barked, then rolled on the bed as if it couldn't contain its happiness.
"How about Apple?" It made a face.
"Belladonna?" This time, it growled.
"Alright, girl, calm down," she crooned, picking it up. "I'll just tell you when I have more names in mind, alright?
As she got out of the covers, Adina curiously peered out the window. Her gaze dropped to a moving clump--students, she realized--all donning dark blue cloaks, and congregating near what seemed like a greenhouse. They frolicked among the white oleander, giggling amongst themselves as the sun continues to climb. Then the realization hit her--she must have missed breakfast. Her empty stomach growled in protest.
Though hesitant, Adina plucked up the courage to open the door and peer into the corridor. She could probably find her way to the mess hall, right? It's not like this place is a maze and she could easily get lost. But Adina's courage quickly faded as she realized how many turns and corners she had to navigate. She kept on returning to the same spot somehow, and the Caturis was absolutely no help in her situation.
She decided to just wait it out. Surely, the three poisoners who escorted her yesterday would check up on her. So she settled back onto her bed, her gaze fixed to the window as she gently petted the now sleeping creature on her lap.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed one of the walls opening, nor did she notice the figure that crept into the room, trying her best to silently close the path.
But the figure hadn't noticed her either. Not until it was too late, so that she let out a high-pitched scream that snapped Adina back. Even the Caturis was alarmed, and it hissed at the intruder, displaying its numerous fangs.
"Who are you?" They said at the same time.
Adina appraised the girl before her, a rather young girl of spindly shape, her hair a dark chestnut color that flashes red in the sun. She could not have been more than 13, but already she looked as if she'd seen too much of the world. Too much, too fast.
"This is my room," the other girl said indignantly.
"Your room?" Adina looked at the other bed at the end of the room, the one that looks decidedly too pristine.
"Why weren't you here last night, then?" Adina challenged.
"I--" the girl started to stutter. "I fell asleep in the library," she answered rather sheepishly.
The girl then gasped as she realized what Adina was holding. "Is that...a Caturis?"
Adina nodded. "I don't know where it came from, but goddess, it sure knew how to wake someone up."
The other girl stared at Adina. Then at the creature. Then at Adina. Then at the creature.
"My name is Leala," she blurted out. "Sorry, for freaking out on you. I just get startled easily."
"Adina," she returned in kind. "I arrived late last night. Early morning actually. Long journey."
"Where from?" Leala asked, wide-eyed.
"Mercantil. The Trade Center."
Leala's hazel eyes widened even more. "The Trade Center? Where the hunters are? How did it take you this long to be caught?"
"Hunters?" Adina had never heard of so-called hunters.
"Never mind," Leala said with a wave of her hand. "You're here now and that's what's important." Adina raised a brow, but the girl seemed adamant not to elaborate anymore.
"So, what do you like to do for fun?" Leala asked, changing the subject.
Adina couldn't possibly tell her what she did in Mercantil, so she kept the conversation close to books and food. "I could eat 12 whole meat pies in one sitting" she bragged, but it surprisingly elicited the opposite of the intended effect.
"Oh goddess, you were living on regular diet, weren't you?"
"Regular diet?"
"Untainted diet. No poison at all. That's why you're so thin! You're thinner than even me."
Adina looked down at her body, and sure enough, she is thinner than even Leala. Her knuckles and elbows are so prominent, one could easily target them and crush them in a fight.
"What should have I been eating, then?"
"Anything poisonous," Leala replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Just like regular people, we also have a recommended diet. Unlike them, however, poison is in our required nutrients intake. It keeps us strong and alive."
"You're a beginner, so you probably won't be able to eat a lot of things YET," she continued to explain, "but you have to eat some poison, okay? Without it, our bodies try to compensate for the lack of nutrients. That's why you eat more and never feel full using untainted diet."
Adina pondered this inside her head. "Everything makes much more sense now."
Speaking of food, Adina's stomach suddenly grumbled.
"Missed breakfast, huh." Leala remarked
"Yeah, but it's okay," says Diana. "I think it's about to be lunch time anyway."
"Oooh," Leala said, even adding a wincing effect. "We don't really eat lunch here. Breakfast is so full it lasts you the whole day, so we actually only eat two times a day."
Adina's face fell. Oh well, it's not like it's the first time she went starving for a whole 24 hours.
"You can have snacks, though!" Leala tried to cheer her up. "The palace staff won't give you any--says it ruins your appetite--but you can buy from the merchants outside if you have money to spare."
"OR," Leala had a huge grin on her face. "We could always go foraging!"
"Foraging?"
"Yes!" Leala squealed. "Foraging! Now, come on." The girl jumped up and down as she took Adina's hand. "I'll show you all the best places I've found."