Minor reference <--- Used as inspiration for cloak symbols / designs.
Okay, so for a long time I've been writing about Harper (obviously) but for some reason she's had some sort of alter-ego when she goes out exploring at night, and the cloak usually comes along with that. I'm assuming she either purchased it or wove it herself, more likely the latter. It has a hood that can be removed, and can be tightened or loosened using the nylon threads that end in wooden pegs. It's made of some sort of cotton and extends down past her wrists, with slits for her dew claw / thumb. The forelegs have darker patches that end at her bicep area, and it's a teeny bit large around her shoulders - giving her extra room for motion. Towards the bottom, the cloth is cut or has been cut, and drapes carefully over her back legs. The back side of the cloth can be pinned up so that it only reaches to her hips, but she typically wears it down. The bottom has a seam that splits it in two, sort of like coattails, which allows for a wider range of motion. The bow is removable entirely, and is what adjusts the length / height of the coattails.
This took about three hours ;w;
The night was cool and calm, and the halo of light that the moon provided was more than enough for Harper to find the doorknob. The smooth panel of wood slipped shut, and the dark bean could feel the lock click. A hiss of frustration left her mouth briefly - she'd have to climb through a window upon her return. Regardless, now it was time for her to focus and put the momentary failure behind her. She'd be sure to adjust the lock properly next time, but for now she needed to move on.
Her fluid markings shining like silver under partly burnt-out streetlights, Harper's claws slid easily over the cobblestones that paved the long abandoned city. They city had once reached the peak of urbanization, but some sort of plague had spread like wildfire some centuries ago - completely decimating the population. It had been raided years ago, the attacks evident in the shattered glass and destroyed materials that lined the sidewalk as thickly as the cobblestones themselves. Harper made her way through the destroyed city, her goal in mind. Through years of exploration at night, she'd discovered an abandoned tower, one that had likely been used as an office building at one point or another. The sky was bright, lit by yet another full moon, and the city was silent. By the time the dark bean had scaled the tower and was sitting on her haunches gazing out over the city, her senses had dulled down and she was relaxed. A mistake that could become fatal under the wrong circumstances.
A quiet laughing sounded from behind Harper, and within moments she had stood and turned, the cloak billowing in her wake. Her upper lip curled in a snarl, the gradient eyes shone like mystical pools through the darkness. "Who dares engage me?" The words were a growl, and her perfectly filed claws gripped the metal of the roof tightly. From the shadows emerged a bean who wore a cloak that covered his facial features and moved fluidly under the dwindling moonlight. A cackle sounded from the stranger, and Harper's eyes narrowed. "Are you addled, old man? Why are you not home in bed, safe and warm, tending to a warm fire rather than on a rooftop giggling at a stranger?" Harper approached him warily, cautious but confident. The hood of the stranger's cloak fell backwards, revealing eyes that shone strangely under the moonlight, residing deeply within a hollowed out face worn thin with grime. The old bean was blind, and seeming the phrase resounded true with the stranger in more than one context. His voice, old and ancient like a long destroyed record player, ceased its laughter, and his milky eyes seemed to stare right at Harper. "I have no home."
Just part of the writing with Harper and her odd, nocturnal explorer alter-ego. The old man becomes something symbolic and complicated later on, but he's a "good guy" I suppose. I might bring the stories to CS if I find the time one day uwu
