14357/Men Who Love Kitties

Men Who Love Kitties
Date of Scene:	08 March 2023
Location:	Blake House
Synopsis:	The lady meets the tiger.
Cast of Characters:	Thomas Blake, Megan Gwynn, Marie-Ange Colbert

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Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake has just topped ff his furnace monster with a gallon of kerosene. The creature apparently understands now that Thomas provides food and is definitely a hard target and not worth antagonizing. In fact the infernal beast has the house at a toasty 85. This is fine with Thomas. In Africa this would be sweater weather. The creature is trying to please and Thomas is finally warm again. He hasn't considered the issues of heat stroke in Faeries yet. He might want to, or it may be a ploy to get Megan to wear less. He enters the kitchen and nearly rear ends Rasputin who is eating out a 60 centimeter bowl and hardly notices the man bumping him. Can't maul. Eating. "Megs? Where are you? Are you watching Gray Ghost without me?! MEGAN!" He's not angry, just projecting.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn is totally watching Grey Ghost without him, while fanning herself a bit, even in her oversized green Thomas t-shirt that fits almost like a dress, and short black shirts underneath. Well, that furnace monster was unexpected but hey, looks like he keeps the furnace running on time at least? "In here!" she calls and waves as she snacks on spicy popcorn. "What's up?"

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie-Ange Colbert woke up with a headache to end all headaches this morning... and getting out of bed was a battle. It was a battle she had to win, though. She had classes, and after classes? She had things to attend to. Some of the fallout from her birthday party, and not just making sure she got her hands on the /good/ Tylenol to help fend off the hangover symptoms...

This is why drinking to excess after an extended sabbatical from it is not a wise idea. On the other hand? She had /fun./ It may have been worth it. She doesn't /entirely/ remember.

Fortunately for her, she makes notes. Set reminders up on her phone to alert her to things that she needed to do. One of those things? Was to pay a promised visit to one Thomas Blake -- which jumped on the priority list faster than she expected.

Clearly, fate does not mess around when it comes to her life.

So, she's gotten dressed -- a yellow silken blouse with a flowing black skirt, and a black overcoat that goes over it because, well. It's chilly outside! An Uber had been hired to take her to her destination, and she finds herself ont he exterior of the Blake abode, proceeding in whatever manner needed to gain entry. Ringing the bell, knocking at the door, buzzing the gate... whatever the local system was!

Thomas Blake has posed:
The Uber driver was Diamond quality and a Happy Harbor. thus when he dropped her off he made bold to ask her several times, "Are you sure, Miss?" Having dropped her off he does a K-turn to break all speed records and departs. Such a sweet girl. What a pity. How does that bastard keep doing it?

Thomas spots the girl, watching without him! He drops into a crouch -hopefully inducing a squeal before bounding over and seizing her. "You minx! What did we agree?"

Thomas hears the buzzer and checks the CCTV on his phone. "Remember where we were... we have a guest." He tosses his phone on the sofa. He's off to open the gate. He clears the tiger in a single bound. He... opens the door into his big toe and curses as he bounds down the path barefoot in shorts. Not a smart move. the wind is blowing.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn giggles and snug- tackles Thomas, "That's cuz you took too long snacking in the kitchen and by the way it's way too warm in here..We should feed the furnace monster some ice cream maybe?" then the bell rings and she makes a face, "Meep! Expecting company? I'd better get changed!" and she darts out somewhere to find something more presentable to wear,,

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"Oui, quite sure." Marie had answered politely, smiling the entire time. She wasn't sure what the big fuss was all about... but the truth was, she wasn't too worried about it. She trusts fate to lead her where she needs to be, and today, that meant a trip to Happy Harbor. A pretty place, really -- perhaps she'll visit more often!

She's waiting patiently at the gate to be let in, quietly humming as she does... at least until she spies the form of Thomas running down the path. Rather underdressed. Green eyes go wide.

"Monsieur Thomas!" She remembered he said he'd only respond to Thomas outside the walls. She's /still/ polite, though. "I-- I can wait while you dress! This is no weather for..." hands are helplessly flailed in his general direction. "...this!" She's dismayed. But mostly dismayed /for/ the certainly cold man.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake starts to feel the cold. He looks down. "I've got shorts on. What's the problem... Oh sweet Lady Gotham it's cold. Uhmmmm follow me! Sorry about this, my house has a heating surplus at the moment." He turns to run back up the path yipeing. He leaves the door open for her and glorious heat wafts out.

He makes the best use of his remaining cold running up to Megan and giving the dressing woman a full body hug from behind, the filthy beast. Filthy is a metaphor. He has showered.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn is gone for several minutes as she searches for something to wear.mMarie looks so stylish in her cute outfit and she doesn't want to look sloppy in return. Having spent the night in a really hot house she has forgotten it's still winter outside as well, so she returns wearing a cute floral pink maxi dress underneath a lilac cardigan. "Hiii Marie! How you doing? It's been a while."

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"...that, oui." Marie replies, letting out a little giggle before starting to trail in the man's wake. /She/ dressed for the cold, so rushing isn't exactly what she needs to do... plus, she knows moving too fast probably isn't the best thing for her head right now.

Once inside, she closes the door behind herself because, well, she's a polite guest! Taking a moment to take in the scene inside -- and spy the familiar face of Pixie. The other girl's given a bright, cheery smile -- and, if she doesn't flee, a hug as well. "Mademoiselle Megan! I am..." she trails off, giggling slightly. "...realizing why drinking in moderation is suggested. Otherwise alright, though. How have you been?"

She'll give poor Thomas a couple minutes to warm back up before addressing him /properly./

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake sees to the tiger, nudging him to the access way to his pen. "Go outside. It's tiger weather. I'll introduce you in a bit." Get dressed? He has pants. This is a clothing optional house. He saunters back in, warming quickly, aside from say a cold finger tip he gently strokes a pointed Faerie ear with. Ignore his Arctic hug will she?

"Marie, let me have your coat. What can I get you? A libation? Have you eaten? I can whip up an omelette."

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn meeps as she's tackle hugged from behind, although Thomas is used to her pokey faerie wings that he manages nit to get poked by them hopefully..And then Marie is hugging her from the front and she's briefly a faerie sandwich! "Meep!" she manages to wriggle out after returning both hugs - albeit awkwardly, nuzzling against ear scratches and giggles. Hey she's ticklish!

"Ooh did I miss your birthday by the way? Belated happy B! Hope it was a good one, get any good gifties? And.." she smiles impishly, "Oooh, did miss goody goody get a but good tipsy on her special day? Would have loved to see. that!"

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie isn't terribly worried about /others'/ state of dress, beyond caring for their health in times of cold. She's polite. She won't stare. She's also seen people in less at the Club, and knows how to maintain eye contact. Though, she /does/ make a brief note of the scarred Thomas. Someone else, clearly, has had a rough history... and quite possibly rougher than her own.

"Merci beaucoup, Monsieur Thomas." Marie replies, shrugging out of her jacket with ease and offering it to Thomas as per his request; it /does/ feel considerably better without in here, afterall. "I... would not object to a bite to eat. I feel as though I could eat a cow!" Not quite the idiom, but often the result!

Megan gets a nod to the question, "Oui! I sent an invitation, but I suppose it did not make it in time?"" She had only just met Thomas recently, so even with her attempts to get everything out fast enough the mail may have been her undoing, there. "It was most wonderful, and oui, I did recieve many lovely things!" One of them is part of her reason for visiting here today, for that matter.

...and that last question? Well, it has her blushing. "More than tipsy." she admits. "Fortunately, my Mary was there to ensure I found my way home unmolested, else I would likely be sleeping on a table at the embassy right now..."

...okay, so one of the other guests probably would've made sure she got home. Marie knows she has friends who care about her. ... although some might have just left her hands in warm water and laughed.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake acks a little. Pointy wings. He is used to pointy parts on friends but they usually had four paws. He gives Megan a little pinch, "Don't drunk shame, Megan. You've gotten soused enough. Sometimes deliberately. We ahhh got an invite but it was a little late and I couldn't find Megan. Anyway, I was going to give you this at the Club. It's from both of us." He hands her a little gift basket that indeed contains a lovely scarf with a kente pattern on it.

He peers at Marie and gives a long sniff. "Jeeze... you are nursing a grand case of the day after. Can you still speak French? I'll fix you a hangover cure. And you... behave." The last directed at Megan.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn pouts, "Awwwe I totally didn't get you a gift in time, but I'm glad you got some good ones!" actually she. forgot the date entirely and probably didn't know Marie well enough to even get an invite. Thomas is given a face as she shakes her head, "Not drunk shaming, congratulating her! I didn't think she'd do it! " looking to Marie she grins, "It was fun though, wasn't it?"

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie takes the offered basket with both hands, looking into it... and beaming brightly. "Monsieur, Mademoiselle. It is lovely! Merci beaucoup!" ...she can pretty clearly still speak French! Fingers are playing with the scarf. Examining the pattern against her pale skin, enjoying the feel. It's pretty clear she likes the gift! She'll likely wear it out, though it's a bit warm to add layers /inside./

Megan gets a grin. "As of yesterday, it was legal. Before I came to America... and until I learned it wasn't allowed before then, I happily indulged. I grew up in France, after all." is offered with a bit of teasing towards Megan. "Very fun, though, oui."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake watches as Megan gives a TTYL later hug to Marie-Ange and heads back in the living room for Fairy business. Meaning more binge watching. "Faeries are very mercurial. Come and I'll feed you. Then you can meet my tiger. Literally. I'm not being rude or anything. Come." Like that he takes Marie-Ange in the kitchen. They walk around a huge food bowl and Thomas begins making steak and eggs, which smell wonderful.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie follows along without question or hesitation. For one, if this is Pixie's boyfriend, she trusts Megan's judgement in men to not put her in a bad situation, T'Challa's training has set her up pretty well to defend herself...

...and truthfully? She knew that Mary was only a quick 'help' alert away. Not that she'd ever abuse that. If anything, she'd try to use that only as a last resort, because she doesn't want to bother her girlfriend.

"I will keep that in mind," she giggles -- Faeries being mercurial, that is. "...and, that reminds me, actually." she murmurs, glancing around for a place to sit and set her basket down, before turning her attention to Thomas. "It is about a gift I recieved last night... I thought you might be one of the people best suited to tell me... how I should handle it?" She's not even entirely sure what words best fit her situation, but she at least knows who to turn to for help.

...and that food /does/ smell good.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake grills some thin pounded steaks in one pan, eggs in another. He flips and catches a fluffy omelette and sets it down before Marie with a generous portion of steak done medium. Hmmm a vegetable... there he goes with a sprig of parsley. Actually he made some steak for himself. A lot. He swallows a couple. "So you want to ask the help of a theme criminal, a scourge of Gotham... how can I help and do you want salt, pepper, ketchup?"

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"Merci beaucoup." Marie replies as the steak and omlette are cooked -- she eats daintily, but at a steady pace. It's probably a little surprising the way she eats -- not the dainty part, but that she's not just nibbling at the edges because, well, she's a fairly thin girl. Just shy of being malnourished, and /that's/ a vast improvement over when she first came to America...

But Thomas' words make her giggle a bit. "You joke, oui?" 'Criminal' and Thomas don't seem to fit together. She's always known criminals to be mean, nasty sorts -- like Sauron! "Ooh, first, salt and pepper, c'est vous plait." Eager hands reach out. "... but, ah.. perhaps I had best show you." she says, reaching into a pocket for her phone. Flip-flip-flip. She holds up a picture of a snow leopard wearing a collar that says 'Spot'.

"...one of my birthday presents, Monsieur Thomas." she tells the man, looking a bit confused. "I... know very little about the care of such majestic creatures, but I thought you might...?" He has a tiger, afterall.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake looks at the picture and makes a couple of quickly stifled cute sounds. "I might? Wait here. You obviously didn't Google me or watch Gotham Cable. Hold it you know, don't Google me. Some of that fan fiction they put out offends even me. Wait... I rarely make an entrance any more." He pads into his sleeping area. Marie-Ange can hear rustling and some clicks. In a very short time he returns.

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-there-no-Catman

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
He's joking, right? He's... he's not laughing. Marie pauses in her chewing to make a quick consideration. If he /is/ a criminal. A supervillain. That means she's probably in danger, right?

...but why would the cards have not told her such if she was?

It explains the question he was asking of fate, though. Which implies a desire to rise above. So maybe she's not, and the past is the past? Rather than reach for her phone -- though that's left on the counter -- she reaches for her deck. Drawing without shuffling. The Four of Wands, Reversed. A lack of harmony. It's a warning card... and one that reflects her feelings right now. Caught between make a break for the door and trust what she's seen.

...but Megan's here, too. /Megan./ She wouldn't be involved in anything untoward, right...?

Marie decides against the door. Against texting Mary. The card is laid on on the counter, next to her plate. Fate was rooting for the man to rise above, and she had no place to question fate. Plus, she was the poster child for being judged for things she did, not /who/ she was. It wasn't about time to be a hypocrit.

...and then Thomas returns, or more accurately Catman does, and Marie looks the man over. Pensive. "You... speak truth, then." she states softly, some confliction in her tone. "I... hrm. Well, as all cards are lain on the table... I feel it is important to be honest." Fingers come to rest on the tabled card, and within moments four wooden staves manifest out of the air, just... sort of hovering behind her. She waits. She watches. Gauging the reaction.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake bats at them experimentally and chuckles. "I am trying to reform and live an honest life. And Catman never inconvenienced a young lady." He sweeps his cape around and smiles. "The first time I was caught, it was by tracking dietary supplements my cats needed. The second time was... I lost my head over a lovely in a cape and by trailing the gang members I bailed out. I have to say, my good impulses were my undoing. I wasn't enough of a criminal. It was fun though. I... liked telling myself I was the smartest guy in the room. Till I got caught. I liked the money, when I had it. Then I dd my time."

"I never robbed someone who went hungry or broke. I never ratted on anyone. I always looked after my men. I make no apologies. Are you going to beat me with these sticks? Are you a superhero -Marie?"

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
They're real. They react like wood, just suspended in the air by way of Marie's mental focus... at least until she removes her hand from the card, at which point they fade away into the ether as if they never existed. Without saying anything, the card goes back into the deck. Which she leeeeans over to put out of her easy reach. A show of trust.

"You are, and you can. Fate itself has said as much, we were both there." Marie offers softly, going back to eating her food. "I respect your honesty, Monsieur Thomas. You did not have to tell me about this side of yourself, but you did." She smiles a bit, here.

"Why would I beat you?" she asks, blinking owlishly. She's not an aggressive person by nature. Not in the slightest. "You have done me no harm worthy of such a thing. I am no... how you say... Dog." She means bounty hunter. "...and a superhero?" She crinkles her nose. "I am not sure I would call myself such, but others may have. I am fate's servant. I act as she wills me to. Beyond that? I care for my friends."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake pulls his mask back and smiles. The method of her conjuring is not questioned. "I am a criminal. The courts said so. As for a villain... I'd argue the point. Some so called heroes attack on sight. I apologize for questioning you. Whatever your powers and skills, I can tell you're a gentle soul, like Pixie. Now we'll meet the tiger... but you should change into something less fancy for that maybe. That closet has a variety of clothes for my gusts to use. I'm going through this door and you follow after you find something comfortable to wear. It will make you hangover feel better. Trust me."Like a ghost he rises and vanishes through the door in question. As the Cape sweeps around, there is a brief glimpse of a pair of knives at the small of his back.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"Do not apologize, you were right to question me, Monsieur Thomas. It is also why I wished to provide answers before the questions were asked." she replies simply, placing her utensils down once her plate is empty. For what it's worth, Marie doesn't reach for the cards even as she stands; she'll collect them when she goes, but she wants to make it clear that she's alright being 'unarmed' in Thomas' presence. "One day, fate may demand that we stand on opposing sides, and I will obey. That is my role," As fate's servant, not a heroine, or a villainess. "...but that day is not today, and truly? I hope such a day does not arrive, because I would not enjoy it."

Then he's pointing out the closet and, well, she moves to attend to it. Looking around for something her size, and once she finds it? Well. She'll slip into the closet to change. It takes a few minutes, but once she's done? She slips back out and heads through the indicated door!

Thomas Blake has posed:
And once through the door, there is a dimly lit tunnel that extends a good fifty yards. At the end is a heated room, still a little cold. A door leads outside into a habitat. But sitting on the hard packed dirt floor Thomas sits with a truly huge tiger, lying with his head in his the man's lap. Thomas is rubbing the huge killer's ears and rough and it turns out tigers purr and it is inspiring. Thomas motions for her to sit. Quickly. As she entered the great feline began to tense. Thomas bends low to whisper to it. He watches as the tension slowly ebbs.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie, one might notice, is an interesting case study in humanity -- when she walks in, and sees what she sees? Well, she doesn't scream. Doesn't recoil. Doesn't tense. Why?

First, the cards did not inform her she'd come to harm. Her future, as she views it, is practically set in stone. Jenny changed it once, and she's grateful to her friend... but finds the lack of the blonde in her life rather telling of fate's view on such interference. /Marie/ will almost never dare to raise an objection to fate's machinations. She's commanded, she obeys.

With one exception in her mind, should it ever show up again. For a very specific brunette.

So when Thomas motions for her to sit? She obeys, settling down on the ground without hesitation. Beyond just having faith in her readings, she trusts the /expert/ who said the tiger wouldn't harm her... and it was time for that faith to be rewarded.