boxofmisfits | Open Post

"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.

Anders eats his own fish carefully, trying to eat around the bones, though he still has to pull them out of his mouth a few times, or even spit them onto the ground.

"So, are you planning to stick around, or do you have places to be?"

"I don't have anything pressing to do today. Why?"

Raine only doesn't mess with the tail. That gets ripped off, along with some of the spine. Anything else on the way is devoured without hesitation.

"I mean, I do have a home along the outskirts of the Planasene Forest, but it's just easier to muddle around here and exchange things for others' good will. Gives me some incentive to move around.

"And if I need money, the Blooming Rose is good for that and my limited skillset."

They stretch a little, twisting their waist here and there to get a few more kinks out.

"I was just thinking that if you wanted to keep hanging out, you could always help me out at the clinic. Though I haven't really had any patients in a while, and in that case, you can go home or you can stick around just to hang out with me."

Anders picks the last few bites of meat off of his fish before tossing the remaining bones aside. Really, Anders just likes having a cat around, even if this cat is actually an elf who just turns into a cat.

"...Huh?"

Mismatched, wide eyes stare at Anders, eyebrows raised.

"You... want me to stick around?"

Food forgotten for the moment, Raine struggles with such a simple statement.

"Helping you out... I mean. I don't have a lot of stamina.... Wouldn't that cause problems?"

Furthermore, going home would be such a long trek after doing so much. Might just be easier to stay--

...Nnnnno no no, out of the question. It's too tempting.

They grumble and fidget with their hair a little, cheeks pink.

"I'm a pretty boring cat..."

"There's no such thing as a boring cat. Ser Pounce-a-lot had days where he did nothing but sleep and he was never boring. But, when I say help out, I mean doing things like cleaning up, or even assuming cat form and being comforting." Assuming none of his patients have allergies, of course.

Raine tilts their head, if anything, looking even more owlish than a moment ago.

"Oh... that. That I can do."

Flustered, they finish off the last of the fish and just discard what's left of the tail, and some of the thicker parts of the skull that they couldn't comfortably bite through.

"I... hope I'm good at comforting whoever you point me to. Hm. I also don't mind if you borrow me as an example that certain spells won't hurt. Things like that. Just..."

They frown.

"Don't.. let me come into contact with any silver. I'm allergic. I get blisters on contact."

"Alright, I can keep you away from silver," Not that one might find much silver here in Darktown. "And if nobody shows up, I can close up for the day and we can get you some more fish at the docks. Or, I know someone who grows catnip, if you're into that."

With the mentioning of catnip, Raine's face turns beet red, jaw dropping. It takes them a moment to compose their words into an order that makes sense.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd ask if you were indirectly asking to sleep with me."

They clear their throat.

"Catnip is fine as tea or put into food, but smelling it dry is... embarrassing. It doesn't affect all cats the same way, but for me, smelling it... induces an estrus response, if only for a few minutes."

"Oh. Oh dear," Anders turns quite red. "I mean, when I gave Pounce catnip, he just got stoned. It was actually kind of funny."

"Yeah, um, it varies between us. Cats, I mean."

They clear their throat.

"I can eat it and get stoned, or drink it and get a bit more relaxed, but smelling it, is uh. Yeah. Embarrassing.

"...I mean, I won't say no, because it's... an innocent gesture? From you, I think it would be. Just.. I'll drink it if it's tea, but anything else is my personal business."

Raine fidgets a little with their hair, biting lightly on their lip as they try to control their blushing to some extent.

"Ahhh, I don't want to seem ungrateful...."

"I've never even considered the idea of making catnip into tea, or mixing it in with food." Since normal cats usually just take it as-is. "I can still get you some if you want, and you can do what you want with it. Or I can just see about getting you more fish, or whatever you want."

"Catnip tea can work as an anti-anxiety for humans, actually. That is, if they can push through the chance of having an upset stomach. Again, people react differently, so some side effect are equally varied."

They let out a nervous little breath.

"Fish is always welcomed. Just use discretion with catnip. I mean, the lazy high after... getting excited, feels pretty damn nice."

"I could always get you some nip for your personal use in the privacy of your own home, I suppose." Anders offers. "I mean, it's no different than buying mushrooms to consume once you're safe at home."

"Hmm, I'll let you know if I happen to feel like heading home. So just fish in the meantime. It'll be... less complicated that way."

Though some part of them feels regret for turning it down, it's for the best. The temptation might be too great for them to indulge before it's entirely safe to do so.

And it would be pretty embarrassing to do so and risk being seen by-- by this person.

They grimace, face red.

"...Sorry, I know this is entirely out of the blue, but... what's your name, anyway?"

"Alright. Maybe we can even catch our own fish. I mean, I'm terrible at fishing, since I only ever did it once, but I can hold a bag while you grab some fish." Since cats tend to be natural predators and he's seen cats catch fish before, with their bare paws and teeth.

"Oh, oh dear, I did forget to introduce myself, didn't I?" He turns red again. "My name's Anders." He must have been so shocked at finding out his new cat friend is a shapeshifter he just plain forgot his own name.

He hears someone enter the clinic, but they aren't moaning in pain or begging to see the healer. Hopefully that means they aren't on death's door. "It sounds like I've got a patient. Or someone coming to warn me about the Templars."

"...I know how to fish. Both in cat form, and in human form with a line and with a spear."

Something flickers in their expression, somber and lonely. All the same, they nod and gesture politely for him to attend them. With a shiver of magic, the person standing there returns to a cat shape. Better to hide like this just in case; a Templar, if that's what's about to go down, won't suspect a cat as a proper foe.

Thankfully, it turns out to be an elf with a twisted ankle. Anders sits her down and heals her up in a few seconds. The elf thanks him, but then notices the cat, and makes "awww" noises.

Anders picks up Raine, "Aren't they cute?" The elf reaches out to pet Raine behind the ears.

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