OatSW: Short Stories

Conversing

At this point, everyone in the Wellspring Glades have seen, or at least heard of the newest denizen that came to Niwen. Although, it wasn't like people were coming to talk to Vini every day, nor did it go the other way around. Vini's family expected as much. He can be very shy at times, even when nothing much was going on. His previous life as a supposed social outcast was probably translating into his new life, and they knew that it would take time for that to break. He became attached to his newfound family mostly through the circumstance of unknowingly impersonating Ori, but after learning his truth, that bond was still there because he knew that they still cared about him, and they always would.

Speaking of, the red spirit was currently lying on some grass on the side of a hill, arms behind their head and gazing up at the unclouded blue sky. Some time has passed since his resurrection and permanent induction into his new life, and he was a little surprised at the fact that some knowledge of his previous life was coming back to him. Unfortunately, none of it had anything to do with his life in particular, rather just being trivia and facts about the world he used to call home. He thought it was stupid how he could understand his own world's economy and how gravity worked, yet he couldn't even remember a single thing about his family... or his friends... or a job... or a purpose...

He quickly shook his head and got back to staring at the clouds. He didn't want those pessimistic thoughts in his head right now. He was relaxing, and he wanted no troubles about his past. He wanted to live in the now.

Vini didn't really have much on his plate today. His family was scattered about today, each leaving with their own agenda. Honestly, without them around, he felt... lonely. His only close companions in this new life of his were his two caring guardians and his two loving siblings. Sein and Seir were also up there, but Sein is all the way in another forest, and he's only just started to accept Seir as a comrade. He's had infrequent conversations with other people in the Glades, but only when he was with his family, and even then, he only really talked when he was asked something. He wanted to be more social, but... there was just something... holding him back. Maybe it was the idea of having other people get close with a supposed predator, if those people in the Soul Scape are to be believed.

His mind wandered to most of the creatures he's encountered since he got here, all of them anthropomorphic creatures of some kind. He didn't know how to feel about living in a world filled with... non-human people. Some of them were kinda weird to him. Honestly, he can't help but find Gumo to look... unnatural to some degree, but he didn't want to tell him that. Others were... well...

No. He was kidding himself. He thought a good portion of them were very cute.

Obviously, there's Ori, young and spry and harboring some cat-like traits that make him adorable. Honestly, there were very few times where he's looked at Ori and felt like he wasn't adorable. Ku was also kinda cute, but Vini liked her because of the comfort and honesty she gave him when he first came here. There were also the moki that ran around the Glades a bunch, and just from glancing at them, seeing their cat-like appearance and squirrelish playfulness with one another, he just... couldn't help but think of them as cute as well. He felt like his human origins were making him feel this way, knowing some humans liked more furry creatures. Maybe he was one of them?

But if that was the case, wouldn't he absolutely adore being a furry creature himself? He was a cat. Plus, as time went on, he began to feel weird traits becoming a part of him. He remembered when Ori just started scratching under his chin one morning, and how... soothing it felt. Naru occasionally petted his head as well, and it felt weird, but... not too weird. Humans don't normally like things like that, and yet, there he was, getting pet and scratched like a cat. Were cat-like traits being mixed with his human mind? Is that what's supposed to happen? Obviously, there hasn't been any research on people swapping bodies with a completely different creature, not that he would remember anything like that. Did he like that his mind was becoming more... animalistic? Was he comfortable with the change?