boxofmisfits | Open Post

The toe play feels a little weird. Enough to make them spread their toes and contemplate if they like this ticklish feeling or not.

But eventually it all ends and Raine can't help but look imploringly at him.

...Milk's fine, though. And once the human sleeps, they can set the shadow traps. It's not quite magic so much as a physical extension of themself, so hopefully anyone untoward won't notice it.

But they start to tuck in to the milk, and pause to stare at the human undressing.

...Cute.

For now, though? Their stomach needs to be filled, their fur straightened, and...

...wait. Wait a minute.

Maybe they can swipe more of that fish jerky? Didn't he promise them some more???

Time to follow the human and start nosing around his stuff to find it!!

Anders has gotten his boots off by the time he notices the cat rooting around in his food sack. "If you wanted more of that jerky, all you had to do was ask." As if cats can talk.

He goes over and takes out a piece of jerky, presenting it to the cat. "This what you want?"

Raine looks up when they're addressed, body wiggling as soon as they see the offered food. They take it greedily, damn near drooling on the human's fingers in the process. While they drop the jerky on the floor in the process, they take a moment to clean his fingers before digging in, short tail swishing happily as they purr, and loudly.

On a second taste, the jerky is certainly more tender than some other meats, and courtesy of their body not being that of pure cat, they can taste any spices used, if any. It tastes good with the milk.

What a good human!

Definitely worth staying awake for some of the more problematic hours to keep watch.

They ignore him - in terms of only where they're looking - for now, indulging in the offered meal and grateful for it. To further express their appreciation, they knead on the ground while they purr between swallows.

Anders laughs and pets the cat as they eat the jerky, scratching them behind the ears. "I'll try to get you some fresh fish tomorrow."

In the meantime, he finishes getting ready for bed, stripping down to his long shirt and briefs, cleaning his teeth and then sliding into bed. "Good night, Raine."

Fish in the morning? Dear god they're about to be spoiled!

But it's good to be petted, and they leave him be for a moment while he settles into bed. Joining him on the foot of it, they curl up with their paws underneath their body, tail curled against their hock.

Once they're sure he's asleep, they begin to set their traps outside the perimeter, some of the shadows on the ground stretching and leeching away from their source to carefully congregate in the crevices of the ground outside. Once set, they close their eyes to drowse, but not fully sleep, ears perked for any danger that might need to be captured and dragged around by an ankle or two.

Because at least the chaos and noise of such a thing can give either of them the edge regarding time to react.

Not that Raine expects anyone to be suspicious enough for them to trigger their traps.

Come morning, Anders is slow to wake up, sitting up in bed and stretching, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He looks at the foot of his bed, smiling when he sees his new feline friend there. They came up to sleep with him, which means they must like him.

"Hello, little one," Anders reaches over to gently pet Raine.

Raine rouses fully when they hear movement, stretching and yawning as they're pet. Purring quietly, they bunt into his hand and carefully dissolve their traps. There's the very faintest ripple of magic in the air, soft as a faraway echo, and then it's gone.

They blink sleepily at him, yawning, eyes closing a little in pure enjoyment. Tail raised and wiggling, they're content to be pet as long as Anders wants.

He swears he feels something, but it could just be his imagination. Anders picks up Raine and puts them in his lap, happily petting them and scratching them behind the ears.

"I'll need to pack up everything in the safe house, and then we can get you back to where you belong. I would take you to Darktown with me, but I'd be worried that you'd be eaten by starving refugees."

Ooh, lap pets!! They prrt at him and curl up there, before promptly rolling over onto their back again, tail wiggling and an expectant expression (for a cat.) Belly pets, belly pets!!

...But, damn, should they break this disguise already? Hmm...

Their ears tilt a little as they think, tail moving rapidly to and fro, though their facial expression does not show any anger at all, and they don't bear their claws.

But hopefully it conveys that they're actually processing his words, not unlike the intelligence of a mabari.

After a moment, they make a decision.

The flare of magic is unmistakable now, as they gather the shadows beneath their bodies to form what's clearly an altered glyph of paralysis on the bed in front of Anders. It doesn't glow, so much as just softly shift, like a mirage in the depths of summer.

"Prrrt!"

Anders swears Raine can almost understand him, the way he acts like a mabari hearing their master speak. It's probably just him assigning characteristics to the cat.

And then the glyph appears. He most certainly didn't do that. He looks at the cat with wide eyes, "What sort of cat are you?"

The cat yawns and gets up, stretching a little, and dismisses the glyph with a swish of a paw.

"Not one to be eaten by humans, that's for sure."

Their mouth doesn't quite move. Not in the way a cat would if it spoke common tongue. But the voice, teetering between both male and female, unmistakably comes from the cat. And their mouth does part and move somewhat, as if still speaking in mewls.

"I appreciate your care and affection, however. Greatly. Not many people would take in a cat they know nothing about. Let alone feed it or touch it."

Their tail swishes, and they tilt their head to scratch behind an ear, whiskers pricking forward.

"I had wanted to keep up this appearance longer, but... well, I did not want you to waste your time looking for "my owner" when there is none to be had.

"In any case, I am a shapeshifter, of a sort."

They yawn again, and wiggle as they stretch their hips.

"Ah, pardon me. I was at least partially awake overnight. I felt the least I could do was make sure no intruders came close to this place. Pretty sure the weather kept people at bay, at least."

Ah, there's a little bit of fur out of place. They give their back a shake. Better.

Anders's eyes go wide and his jaw hits the floor. "You can talk?!"

Is this cat a spirit? Are they a normal cat that got possessed by a spirit? The Warden-Commander once told him about a demon that took over the body of a cat. But, Justice doesn't sense anything malevolent from Raine, and he would know if they were a demon.

"Okay, so how long were you going to let me keep baby talking you?"

"Hmmmm, so long as you didn't try to reunite me with someone who "owned" me in a vain but admiral attempt, probably for quite some time. Weeks or months, even. Maybe."

They tilt their head a little.

"Genuinely, I'm not mocking you for it. I like the attention. It's better than being catcalled at taverns or having incorrect racial slurs thrown my way because of my appearance as a person. I'm a cute cat, you see a cute cat, we both win by getting affection and cuddles that we crave. I get food, you get an additional set of eyes making sure you're safe at night."

They nod at his staff.

"Oh, and my name is indeed Raine. Just add a silent "e" on the end."

Their tail sways, and they slow-blink at him to show their contentment right now.

"I mean, you obviously weren't feral, and didn't give off the impression of being a stray. Hence my assumption that somebody owned you and probably missed you." Anders gently touches one of Raine's ears with the tip of a finger, then strokes down their back. "Are you a spirit? Or a shapeshifter?"

Ooh! Raine melts into the touch with some happy purring, expression that of bliss.

"Shapeshifter. My dad was. It can be inherited like a werewolf's bite, but it's more like... it has to be a deliberate thing. With a ritual and candles and everything. We're an offshoot of mage that perhaps went a little too far in wanting to bend reality around ourselves.

"In the end, we became cats with the longevity of humans. Well, I'm only half, but the other half doesn't matter right now.

"Still, I felt a bit salty when I didn't run into others of my kind here, but the felines walking around here sure have a lot of gossip! Old Lass Beth especially - the salt and pepper tabby by the docks. The one with the teardrop mark on her chin, not the prominent M on her brow. She has a lot of stories."

They sway a little where they sit, pawing a little at the bed as if they might dig through the blankets. Their claws are blunt, as though clipped by hand.

"Mostly just gossip, but she warned that some areas are especially crawling with angry Templars more often, and in sometimes varied habits that are different from usual. In not so many words. Most cats don't have the same language equivalent for it other than through what they hear and recall - if it's relevant to them. Anyway, this is one of those dangerous areas. You may want to be careful if you use this house again."

Thinking a moment, they bunt their head against his hand.

"Anyway, figured I'd mention it now. I'd have just stuck by your side like glue until I was sure you weren't going to get caught over here for the next few days, if I chose not to say anything."

Their gaze shifts here and there, tail lashing as they continue to ponder their words.

"Pardon me. I can get chatty."

It must be a different kind of magic, though admittedly Anders doesn't know much about shapeshifters. "Are you kidding? I've always wished that I could talk to my cats and have them talk back." He scratches Raine under their chin, "You're like a little spy."

"Hmmm. Well, my drug of choice is knowledge, I must admit. When it isn't alcohol or pudding."

Ooh, nice chin scritches...!! Hold on while they melt. Raine stretches their forelegs out and makes biscuits.

"Well, with me around, I can play translator when needed, though that's hardly my only premium service. As you saw, I specialize in magical traps, and looking adorable enough to feed."

Raine snickers; the attempted expression probably looks weird on the cat's face.

"More seriously, I can fight for a short period of time. Which suits my past experiences just fine."

"That's good. I wouldn't want the Templars to kill you for thinking that you're a demon." Superstitious buggers. "But, that you can talk to other cats, and hear about what's going on around Kirkwall from them or just seeing it firsthand, that's incredibly useful." The Templars will just ignore a cat, and won't think twice about having to be discreet.

"I did promise you some fresh fish too."

That first statement gets a pause out of them, ears folding back a little in discomfort. But they perk up after a moment, tail swaying.

"I would appreciate some fish. Fresh would be nice, but I won't snub my nose at dried."

Stretching, they hop off the bed and circle around the floor, looking up at Anders.

"Although I won't turn my nose at having to hunt something, myself. I draw the line at birds. They're too pretty. But I will hunt rats in a pinch, and I do enjoy some wild boar as well. A whole boar can last me about three weeks if properly dried."

Turning to the door, they tilt their head a little, and glance at the window to gauge the activity outside.

"...Most of this area hasn't woken up yet. If we slip out soon, there really won't be anyone to see." A beat. "Of course, outside, I will have to cease chatting your ear off."

"Taking down wild boars? Well aren't you the little hunter? Yes you are," Anders couldn't resist more baby talk. He got up and got dressed, quickly packing up the safehouse and making sure the fireplace was out. With everything in order, he picked up Raine. "Maybe we can work out a system. Say, you can touch me with your nose or tail for once for yes, and twice for no. Or just gently nibble on me."

He took a peek out of the door, then motioned for the cat to follow him as he left the safe house. "Come, my little friend, the fish market awaits."

They'd be grinning at the baby talk, but oblige Anders, taking a careful seat on his shoulder, paws carefully placed to brace and maintain balance without digging their claws in much.

"Probably the nose. Easier to feel with the temperature and moisture difference."

Falling silent as they leave the safe house, their mismatched eyes keep an idle look out, tail swaying carefully to further balance and show appropriate interest that one might show while riding on the shoulder of another person.

Fish market. Not a bad idea. And here they thought that the docks might be easier. Then again, it's sometimes easier to think like a cat than a person. Normally, they'd jump into the water to fish directly, but the lack of effort required is nice.

At the fish market, Anders gets a few looks his way, thanks to the cat on his shoulder. They're the cutest accessory ever. It's like when he had Ser Pounce-a-lot.

Anders buys a couple of nice-looking cods and the starts the walk back to Darktown. Once he's back at his home clinic, which is deserted at the moment, he goes into the back room, speaks the fish on a pair of sticks and then uses his fire magic to cook them.

"Hope you're hungry."

Cod...!! Oh oh oh it smells good. They purr outright, nearly drooling at the aroma that wafts their way.

In their excitement after hopping off of his shoulder, there's a ripple of magic as their body grows larger, more human. Their purring doesn't cease even as they take on their true appearance, mismatched eyes wide in excitement as they put their slender hands on their legs. The short tail that's left behind wiggles and sways. Their clothing is simple enough - a blue-gray tunic that hangs past their wide hips, and darker trousers. Their hair is long and tied up in a messy ponytail, with a gradient from dark at the roots to lighter, as if the dark strands were sun-kissed at one point.

"Cod..! It smells so gooooood....! Ahhh, I want ittttt....!"

A beat.

"....Uh."

Looking up (and up! Thanks, being short!) at Anders, their pale face turns bright pink.

"It-- it seems I've--- oh. Oh dear."

Their ears twitch - no longer fluffy, feline things, but somewhat long and elf-like. Their canine teeth are definitely still cat-like, though.

"...Well. This embarrassing. To get this excited for fish...."

They turn their head away and rub behind their neck.

Anders's eyebrows go up when Raine transforms before his eyes. Even if he knows the cat's a shapeshifter, it's still rather jarring to see him go from cat to man all of a sudden. Seeing him in elf form makes Anders feel all the more awkward for how he treated Raine like a pet, even if he did so thinking he was just a cat.

"Uh, here you go," He holds out one of the cod to Raine.

"Sorry-- sorry..."

They can feel the awkwardness already. They accept the fish with thin fingers, shoulders a bit hunched and cheeks burning bright pink. Too flustered to return to cat form, they daintily begin to eat. One cod won't be enough for them like this, but it would be rude of them to accept more when they can find other means to get more food.

Even the bones are not safe from their teeth. It's not like swallowing fish bone shards will hurt them.

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