FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Xivan ocean platforms. The most well known aspect of the country, was that 70 percent of the population didn't live on the islands themselves; in terms of land mass, Xivan was an archipelago, clusters of islands with large spaces of ocean between them. However, the majority of their cities were located on large ocean platforms and harbors, connected to each other via bridges, resulting in a spider web of separate cities, covering the oceans between the Xivan islands. For those who did not live on these ocean platforms, they were located in rural villages on land; primarily farmers, industry workers, and people wanting to stick to the old ways of life.

As Brook stepped out of the airport, she bared witness to the beautiful sight of the ocean, stretching as far as she could see. The one fixture breaking up the uniform ocean was a lighthouse that resembled a towering pagoda, decorated in whites and reds. Kaya, still with her, motioned for Brook to follow her; the hyena wasn't the best with directions so it was up to the serval to get her to their destination. The next step of the journey was to leave the airport, which was located on its own small isolated platform.

The next city was only about a half mile away, so it only took a tiny bit of walking, getting their exercise in. The city, when viewed from a distance, looked like a giant series of buildings and sloping roofs, all possessing the same red and white color palette as the lighthouse out there; it was hard to tell what was in those buildings or tell what was going on in the city solely by the skyline. It all combined the old architecture of Xiva with modern day technology. She couldn't help but be amazed, as she walked down the street from the airport and across the bridge that lead into the belly of the city, looking at massive buildings, only able to assume what was behind the walls, stretching out far, both across and above; if it wasn't for the ocean just a few feet away, she wouldn't even realized she was on an ocean platform. How do you even build something like this? She hadn't seen anything like this in Palegreen, much less the rest of New Castor.

"Twins..." Brook murmured, taking in all the sights, feeling already overstimulated by the city, even if it was just a bunch of buildings, not much different than New Castor; it wasn't that they were buildings, it was the scale of them, and the lack of anything else outside their walls. Looking up at a large sign in the middle of the street, she recognized the Xivan characters; she couldn't read it but she recognized it from what Kaya showed her. She was in Haneul right now. But it wasn't her destination, just her first stop; she had to find a way to get to Ishinomori from here.

"Need some help?" Kaya said, coming up from behind.

"Yeah, probably... I plan to explore this area before going on to Ishinomori." She scratched her head, "So, this area doesn't seem to have much outside the walls. What are these buildings?"

"Oh, here? No not really, but other platforms do. Many of them even replicate life on land, with soil and trees, and whatever." Kaya nodded, pointing to the large complex in front of them. "Many other cities have everything they need inside of these buildings. I mean everything. Places for both work and leisure like parks and offices, there are apartments, schools, shopping districts. Inside of there, it isn't much different than New Castor or Yisk. I've been in them, when you go in, you can't even tell you're inside."

Brook nodded, "Okay, think I get it. It's like a sort of biodome but you live your whole life like that, it's not some sort of science experiment."

"Sounds a bit offensive when you phrase it like that." Kaya teased, "I joke of course. So you plan to walk around a bit and then move on? I can take us to where we'll be staying the night soon, I'm sure you're still fatigued from a long plane ride as I am."

"Yeah..." Brook slumped over, "But I wouldn't say I'm fatigued. The opposite actually. After sitting down in a comfy plane for so long, I'm actually wanting to get some blood pumping. I was so relaxed in there that I forgot what it was like to actually be in a rush." She stood up straight, her back audibly making a cracking noise. That felt really good, prompting a relaxed moan from her.

Kaya, looking wide eyed, did not expect the loud as hell crack. "Uh, well, I guess I'll continue to be your tour guide then. As I said, I've been here plenty of times. So I'll show you around. Plus, I know how to dodge tourist traps."

"Think I can figure out when someone is trying to trick me. Plus, tourist traps are the same no matter where you go. Don't buy stuff unless you know how much it really costs for instance."

"Sounds like you got this all figured out then." Kaya gave her a thumbs up. The two of them stood directly outside one of the buildings, referred to as living complex, the sun beaming down on them; it was the afternoon. Night time and morning had passed in the plane on the way there... Although, they were technically going backwards in time, considering timezone, but they didn't want to get into that, just for how confusing it was. All that they knew for certain was that it was some time in the afternoon where they were. "I'm curious though, why are you going to a quiet little place like Ishinomori? I always took you, still take you, as the most party girls of party girls. Settling down in one of the most rural parts sounds unlike you." Kaya narrowed her eyes. "Oh, don't tell me... You're one of those people who are coming to Xiva on a spiritual journey to find yourself."

"No that isn't it." Brook reassured her.

"You must think that all people of Xiva are some spiritual beings and are all honor bound, that old stereotype."

"No way!" Brook exclaimed, "The fact that you think that I think that says more about you than it does me. I just want to go to the most quiet place there. Heard there is some sort of resort there that I can just stay til I feel better about myself. Spend some of the money we've been stocking up while we're at it." She rubbed her chin. "Although, it's a huge coincidence that it happens to be the hometown of a Primal fighter, a recent one too."

"There are 108 fighters," Kaya shrugged, "Well, less than that now, at least 1 has died. But you could go to any major city in the world and there is a non-zero chance that it's the hometown of a fighter or handler. Hell, Palegreen, as simple as it is, could be called Eli's hometown, no?" She pointed to a large gateway to the living complex. "Now then, shall we enter?"

Other than the beautiful outside architecture, there wasn't much to do outside, so, Brook nodded and followed Kaya into the living complex, more than happy to start off her vacation just right.

Well, looks like they had already ran into a problem.

Brook didn't speak Xivan. Not a lick of it. Even a simple greeting or where the bathroom was, the language was completely out of her grasp.

Thus, it fell on Kaya to be her translator when talking with someone. They already had to talk with someone on the way in here. Brook didn't know what they said in their conversation, but it was brief, simple, and got them passed the person at the front door.

It was well worth it though.

The inside of the living complex was incredible. Stout houses and tall office buildings, clean streets, and a crowded town square in front of them where a tree with purple leaves was growing, its petals falling and decorating the ground. It wasn't that far off from the cities of New Castor, but the fact that this was inside of a building was what truly amazed her. Looking up at the sky, Brook realized it wasn't a sky at all, it was the roof of the building yet was indistinguishable from the real thing.

"From your awestruck expression, I see you are impressed."

"Damn right." Brook said, taking a photo with her phone, not even afraid of looking like a total idiot tourist.

"Good, now come on," she said, running over to the purple tree, standing under it, letting the purple petals fall onto her pink blouse, into her cleavage. She really was the most pastel fucking thing ever. "This is a Lavender Blossom. Smells like lavender, petals can even be substituted for lavender. They're considered one of Xiva's most beloved native fauna. Some experts can even cultivate miniature versions of them and be kept in the house. One of those experts being me." She said, sounding so proud of that fact.

She was right. Brook took one of the petals and sniffed it, putting it up to her nose ring. It really smelled like lavender. She then tasted it, only to gag; as tasty as lavender was, it wasn't something to be eaten raw. A nice tea though? That'd do the trick.

"Yeah, don't eat the petals, dummy," Kaya sighed, confused by the hyena's choices. "They're a symbol of happiness, love, as well as fertility. Certainly more beautiful and lovely than the ugly pines of Yisk." Kaya snapped her fingers. "But, if the taste is still in your mouth, why don't we grab a snack to eat." She took Brook's hand. "Come on, this way! I know just the treat if you want something greasy but tasty."

Greasy and tasty was Brook's favorite! "I've had a craving for something that isn't in flight meals for the longest time now, let's go!" Given, they were first class meals, while still being airline food. So they were somehow simultaneously horrible quality and top tier quality.

Kaya ran over to a small food stand, where a lone goat sat, managing the stand. The smell was certainly enticing, a sweet and salty smell, as opposed to the grilled meat smell that Brook came to expect from these things. The stove, or pan rather, was unlike anything that she ever saw before. An octagonal pan with several round indents in it, in which batter was poured into. "Check this part out, this part is really cool." Kaya said.

Brook leaned in, curious and carefree, drawn in by this food stand owner. Yes, he was just an ordinary food stand order. This was just his day job and to most, this wasn't anything that interesting. But for this moment, as the two girls watched, he might as well be the greatest magician ever. A magician of street foods.

Once the batter was partially cooked, the man used a pair of toothpicks, overturned the cooked batter in each of the indents in the pan. The remaining uncooked batter was then brought to the bottom, to be cooked as well to be cooked. Thanks to the shape of the indents they were in, this formed the batter into several small balls.

"Oooh, very impressive." Brook clapped.

The old salesman smiled, happy to be of entertainment. After letting the balls of batter cook a bit more, he then used the toothpicks to place four of the balls onto one paper tray, then four of them on another. With a drizzle of what smelled like vinegar or fish sauce and some mayo, the meal was complete! Saying something in Xivan, he handed them over to Kaya and Brook; the latter didn't understand what he said, but Kaya said something in Xivan back, their tones friendly. Kaya, of course, payed, being the only one with any Soma (Xiva's currency) on her.

"Thank you," Brook said, in a friendly tone, knowing the man would understand that even if the didn't speak the same language.

The two girls walked off, ready to enjoy their meal on the go. "So what is it?" Brook asked, picking up one of the balls with her fingers, despite the toothpick that came with them being the intended method of eating. That sauce was going to soak right into her fur. The smell was too much, in a good way, she wanted to dig in right now! So, before Kaya could even answer, she popped it right in her mouth. Her eyes widened, enraptured by the sweet and savory fish sauce, plus the sweet mayo, it was incredible! The dough was still quite hot, but she didn't care, it was soft and half cooked, intentionally so. That was when she bit into something she didn't expect. What was it? Tasted fishy... Calamari? There was calamari inside of the ball?! Simply delicious!

"It's called takoyaki," Kaya explained, watching Brook's reaction. "Basically fried octopus in dough balls. It's a common street food but still incredibly delicious, if you're fine with it being a bit messy." She ate one of her own. "If I wasn't watching my weight right now, I'd go back there and ask for seconds." She looked over and practically gasped, realizing Brook had already ate all of hers. She just completely devoured it. Messy and poor table manners, or street manners in this case, but completely scarfing down food someone made could be considered a compliment to some. "Well, you sure liked that."

"I'm a bit of a street food con... Whatever those are called. Hell, there is this one hot dog vendor near my house that knows me by name and knows what I order just by what day it is or what he thinks my mood is, even knowing when I'm feeling depressed he'll know." She laughed, "He gets it right. Every. Single. Time."

"Connoisseur." Kaya said, "The word you were looking for is connoisseur." The two of them eventually stopped at a park bench, in front of a fountain that was in the shape of a three parallel lines, the symbol of Xiva. "Let's sit down here for a bit." She said, still only half done with her meal. "You really are you, Brook."

"What do you mean?" Brook said, licking the sauce from her fingers.

"I mean, well, you simply have no filter on what you do. I mean that as a compliment. Even when we were at the restaurant, you were acting the same. Even when in front of one of the most powerful people in all of Primal, you were acting just as you are now."

"What can I say, I've learned from experience that hiding who I am and filtering who I am is fucking stupid and I should just be who I am. I lived most of my life putting up fake shit for the sake of my own protection. Now I'm done with that. Miss me with that."

"Anything that cased you to change your mind?" Kaya asked, resting her hand in her hands. Somehow, her pastel look, from her skirt to her blouse to her jewelry, was untarnished by the street food. She truly was unstoppably cutesy. She only had one takoyaki left in her tray, so she handed it over to Brook, who ate it up without a second thought. "Ah, sorry... I forgot you didn't want to share this kind of thing."

As she chewed on the takoyaki, Brook was silent, her smile disappearing for just a moment, as she was lost in thought once more. "No, it's fine, don't worry about it." She gulped, tossing the toothpick and tray into the trashcan next to her. Watching the people pass by, she wondered how many people had been through similar stuff to her. How many people have been through worse. Worse? That was a dumb way to put it. It was dumb to make a contest out of tragedy. But still, that didn't change the fact that she still thought on the walks of life people had, from her, to Kaya, to the street food vendor from before. How that dictated their lives today, where they were and where they were going. Then, she was left wondering why she got all this from a simple offering of takoyaki... And Kaya was left in silence, wondering what Brook was thinking about. "Ah..." Brook looked over to Kaya. "You know what? I think I think I'm willing to tell it."

"Tell your story?" Kaya said, "You don't have to, Brook."

"Nah, I think I'm willing to tell it. I think talking about it will take a lot off my mind. Ethan is the only other person I've told it to." She took a deep breath. "But let's not tell it here. Let's get to our room first. You booked a place right?"

Kaya nodded, "Oh don't worry, I got a place for us. A small little place just a couple blocks away." She pointed down the street. She knew the place better, could book the flight, and could even be a guide for the various customs; she didn't want Brook to do something that was considered offensive in Xiva that is perfectly fine in New Castor. But, they were planning on parting ways tomorrow, Brook wanting to go to Ishinomori on her own. Hopefully staying in touch, just in case.

A bit more walking, passing by stores and houses. It was harder and harder to tell that they were actually inside, with the artificial sky above their heads and the plants growing in the artificial light. To call it artificial was an insult. This life was as real as anything else, no matter what others said.

"Here we are." Kaya said, looking up at a small building. It didn't look like a motel at all. Actually, it looked like someone's house; right, maybe that was because it was someone's house. Even had a sign outside displaying what Brook figured was the address; she, again, couldn't read Xivan so she was only guessing. A woman outside was sweeping the front porch, a young looking panda. She happily hummed a song to herself.

"Aoi!" Kaya waved, her jewelry jangling.

"Kaya?" The panda smiled. "I've been waiting for you!"

The two ran over and hugged each other, Kaya's rich and extravagant outside clashing with Aoi's humble skirt and shirt.

"So you two know each other?" Brook asked.

"Mmhm," Kaya nodded, "Aoi and I go far back. We were friends even before I got involved in the company." She leaned in, right up to Brook's ear. "Speaking of which, she is also a viewer of Primal. So don't worry talking about it in front of her. Viewer, not Handler, keep in mind." She stepped away, going back over to Aoi.

The panda, was quick to give Brook a friendly greeting. "How do you do?"

"I'm doing good!" Brook nodded, holding out a hand to shake. She didn't say it, not wanting to come off as rude, but she was grateful that Aoi spoke Castor. "So, uh, is this an inn?" She said, looking up at the house.

"Nope, it's my home. Kaya asked if you guys could stay the night, I have no one over so I figured what the heck, I haven't used the old guest bedroom in forever." She bowed. "So make yourself at home, Miss Rivers."

Miss Rivers? She could get use to being addressed as such. "Well, why the hell not indeed." She said, as Kaya began to walk inside, waiting for Brook to follow her.

The inside was just as humble as the owner. Not many fixtures or extra details. A family picture here, a bonsai plant growing in the window sill. A bookshelf full of a mixture of educated reading and comic books. But, overall, everything was so organized and spotless. It was the antithesis of the messy and disorganized home that Brook lived in.

"Nice place." Brook said. Only now did the exhaustion of the day catch up with her. She had been sitting all day, yeah, but she hadn't lied down in so so long. Her back was killing her. Thank goodness Kaya was there to guide her.

"This way." She said, "Guest room is this way. It isn't much, but it's better than an expensive hotel that is way more expensive than what you actually get."

"Don't worry, I love humble." Brook said, heading into the guest room, the second door on the left down the hall, right next to the calligraphy painting. The guest bedroom was exactly what she expected. Not much detail, other than a painting of a mountain plus a shelf with nothing on it. There was, however, one issue; there was only one bed.

"I know what you're thinking, don't worry," Kaya said, "Aoi's parents are out of town, so I'll be sleeping in their room tonight." She giggled, "Thought I was gonna sleep with you, didn't you?"

"Nope," Brook said, "Wouldn't mind it though. I've slept with a few friends now and again, in a completely non-sexual way. Even slept with Ethan." She always hated that the term 'sleep together' always implied sex. Maybe she just wanted to sleep next to someone and cuddle up?

"Oh..." Kaya said. That's all she had to say. She cleared her throat, suddenly blushing and bashful. "Oh... Well, in that case. Wouldn't mind staying here then. If you want anything, I'll go ahead and ask Aoi." She rubbed her chin, "I think she has some sake. I know how much you like your booze. Might as well cook some dinner, my treat."

"You really know how to treat a girl right." Brook said, "But yes, let's make it a good night. I'm gonna need it." She said, looking out the window, ready for her vacation in Xiva to begin proper.

---

SORRY FOR THE HUGE DELAY

Feeling super burnt out and feeling little motivation to write, but here we are.

But, managed to squeak this out and finally get back into the groove of things.