14683/Paws at Pugsley's

Paws at Pugsley's
Date of Scene:	14 April 2023
Location:	Pugsley Creek
Synopsis:	Rogue bumps in to Alderic out by Pugsley Creek. She offers him some food and some lessons on how to say her name! 'Rooooo GUH!'
Cast of Characters:	Rogue, Alderic

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Rogue has posed:
Rogue strolled leisurely along the dirt path that wound its way next to Pugsley's Creek, carrying a drink cooler in her left hand. The late evening sun cast long shadows across the path, dappling the surroundings with a warm, golden light. She had donned a pair of sunglasses to shield her eyes from the sun's glare, and her legs were clad in a comfortable pair of jean shorts that swished softly against each other as she walked. Her light blue tank top kept her cool in the warm weather, and she relished in the sensation of the cool breeze blowing across her skin.

As she walked, Rogue gazed ahead, lost in thought. She was headed back to Breakstone Lake, where she planned to spend some time alone with her thoughts. Beyond the lake lay Xavier's School, her true destination for the evening. Situated to the southwest of Pugsley's Creek, the school was a sanctuary for mutants like her, a place where she could be herself without fear of persecution. As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Rogue quickened her pace, eager to reach her destination before the day came to a close.

She'd been on a picnic with some others from the school, but they'd already headed back to the school twenty minutes ahead of her, taking her dog with them. The southern belle just strolls casually, her two toned hair flowing in the cool Spring time breeze coming off of the creek's water.

Alderic has posed:
    It wasn't often that Alderic made his way this far from the city, but he had caught a familiar scent and it needed following! Prowling on his hands and feet, the puma-man made his way through the forest underbrush, moving with stealthy purpose. He had a singular purpose, and he was moving quickly in order to catch up to his new friend! Of course, what he didn't expect was to come along a trail, where the scent disappeared as it got overwhelmed by dozens of others mixing with it. "Rraaow!" Alderic calls out, maybe hoping to get the attention of his friend. To anyone else, it would sound like a wild cougar call!

    Alderic sets off down the trail in the direction the scents went, and after only a few minutes his bounding pace catches him up to Rogue. It's not who he was expecting to encounter though, and Alderic comes sliding to a stop on the dirt trail. A hundred or more paces behind Rogue, he stopped because he doesn't want to scare her into thinking he's going to pounce on her! Instead, the felinoid man waits in a crouch on his hands and feet, eyes fixed on the woman. He's definitely not hunting her, and she could probably tell that he's not an -ordinary- puma. His ears and eyes are alert, and he calls out to her with a raspy-sounding "Rraow!"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue stops in her tracks, suddenly alert to an unusual noise. She looks around, wondering if she just heard a mountain lion. As she pulls her sunglasses off, she turns around to see a strange figure back down the pathway from which she'd come from. It's a Puma-man, unlike anything she's ever seen before. She peers curiously at him before turning to face him, walking cautiously toward him. She wonders what he wants and why he's following her, her heart pounding in her chest with a mix of excitement and fear.

Being that Rogue is nearly invulnerable, she's not that worried about him harming her.. but she does worry for the others at the school.

"Hey. You. You... uh.... you don't look like you belong here." She states, seeing that he's like... half man and half cat? "God. YOu're one'a Rahne's friends, aren't ya?" She just assumes, standing a good handful of meters away from him now.

Alderic has posed:
    Alderic isn't very far away, and he's certainly more puma than he is man! Fuzzy ears, feline face, fluffy tail. He's humanoid in shape, though his behavior suggests a more animalistic mentality. He tilts his head a little bit as he peers back at Rogue. He didn't know her - he's never even heard of her before - so he certainly wouldn't know she's basically immune to anything he could do to her. Still, he doesn't seem like he's about to pounce on her, or chase anyone down.

    The response to her question is a shake of his head - he at least understands her, it would seem - and a short, curt "Rao!" As Rogue moves closer to him, he moves closer to Rogue. His movements are fluid and graceful, easy as though he's spent his whole life on all fours. He crawls closer to her, moving with a deliberate slowness. He pauses a moment, ears perking as he lifts his head to look off in another direction at some unheard noise.

    Then he's looking back to Rogue, tail flitting back and forth behind him briefly. He stays out of arm's reach for his own part, not wanting to invade her space - that often ends poorly on first meetings, he's found. Instead, he settles into a squat again, as though settling to wait for her. His head tilts slightly again, and he asks his own question in the form of a curious, trilling "Rrrll?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue watches the strange Puma-man look off to the north, and she follows his gaze, scanning the area for anything that might be of interest. When she looks back at him, she stands there with a peering stare, trying to discern his intentions. As she observes him, she notes that he seems peaceful, almost contemplative, as if lost in thought. Rogue exhales softly, her curiosity piqued by this mysterious creature. She wonders if he's friendly or if she should be wary of him.

The sound of the evening wind rustling the leaves of the trees around the creek moves all around them both, and waves Rogue's white bangs against the sides of her face.

"So you're the strong silent type?" She asks him in her southern flavored accented voice. "Well. That's a rarity around here... Most folks here can't stop runnin' their mouths." She states in a dry tone before she exhales sharply. Her free hand goes up to brush her hair out of her face, moving the wild tendrils of white and chestnut back behind her head.

"You hungry?" She asks him, holding up the cooler. "I got some sandwiches if so."

The Belle jiggles the travel cooler gently, making the sound of its contents rustle some within it.

Alderic has posed:
    Alderic seems to go back and forth between thoughtful contemplation and reactive instinct - like a student trying to pay attention but he keeps getting distracted by something out the window. He tilts his head again as he watches her watch him, waiting to see what her response to -him- is going to be. She doesn't seem afraid of him, and he doesn't seem afraid of her.

    Of course, the mention of sandwiches immediately has the cougar's attention. His ears perk and his eyes light up, and the feline man bounds across the remaining distance between them. Suddenly, the big catman is all purring, rubbing against her like an affectionate, if extra-large, housecat. He brushes against her, curling around behind her legs to push his head up under her hand on the other side. He nuzzles at her hand a moment, then looks up at her with another excited-sounding "Rrowl!" It would seem, like a lot of cats, he's very food-motivated!

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is lowering the red and white cooler back down to her right side when he comes bounding toward her. She takes a small step back, but then he's there, and he's showing quite an interest in what she'd just offered. It causes her to laugh softly, as she looks down at him to watch him circling her on either side. "Right, so... that was easier than expected. Ya don't even slightly play hard t'get." She chides the anthro cat man. He'll likely catch the scent of her Yellow Lab dog on her too, Jeepers is always doing much the same to her... and since he'd been at the picnic earlier today too, he'd been laying against her bare legs, and the like.

"Okay, alright." Rogue says then, separating herself to walk to the area near the tire swing hanging from a tree. She lowers herself down to sit beside it, facing the creek, the cooler beside her. Soon she's popping it open, and digging around inside it. "Here..." She says quietly, popping open a tupperwear container, and pulling out half a turkey and bacon sandwich that she offers out to him, her white bangs once more flowing in the wind across her face.

Alderic has posed:
    What can he say, Alderic is easily persuaded! His fur feels nice against bare skin, both warm and silky-soft, and surprisingly clean for a creature who presumably roams about the woods like this! With the exception of the occasional bit of brush or bramble that found its way to sticking to his fur. He's still quite an unusual creature to find out in the woods around the school!

    Alderic rumbles loudly, settling into a crouch again while he watches her opening the container. He tilts his head a little when she pulls out another, smaller container! But then that's opened, and a half a sandwich is revealed! When she offers it to him, he takes it from her with his maw, and immediately starts munching it down! Even the bits of it that fall on the ground, he quickly swallows them down, too. It takes only a few seconds for him to devour that half a sandwich, and the cougar is looking up at her again, still purring, expectation in his eyes! "Rrowr!" It seems he liked the sandwich, and is perhaps hoping for more!

Rogue has posed:
Rogue watches the cat man rapidly scarf down the half a sandwich. "Wow. Okay. You're worse than Jeepers." She says in a good natured sort of way. When he looks expectantly toward her, after finishing it off, she just smirks back at him before setting the tupperware container down in front of him with the other half. "There you go, and lets see..."

Using her right hand, Rogue holds her hair out of her green eyes as she looks in to the cooler, and starts to pull a few more containers. Soon she's popping them open one by one and setting them down around him. "Potato salad. Five or six tacos... and some chicken tenders. Have at it, McFuzz."

The Belle will then just sit and watch him, her arms going to wrap around her upraised knees, her head leaning forward to lay down against them as she watches him eat.

"So if you can't talk, how the hell am I supposed t'help you figure out what you're doin' out here? A lotta folks around here own guns, ya know? Ya might go'n get yourself shot..."

Alderic has posed:
    Alderic hit the jackpot here! He finishes off the other half of the sandwich as quickly as the first, and by then there's even more food! He sniffs around at it curiously. He leaves the potato salad, but the tacos and chicken are quickly devoured. He even licks out the containers to make sure nothing was left behind! It seems the cougar was hungry - or just doesn't know when he's had enough to eat.

    Rogue's question goes unanswered, of course, even when the cougar-man turns his attention back to her. This time it's with a firm headbutt against her cheek, and he nuzzles at her firmly! He leans his weight against her, though he's probably not anywhere near too heavy for her. He's grateful for the meal, though, and is just trying to show his appreciation! It also gives Rogue an opportunity to look at the metal collar around his neck, which has the nameplate attached to the side of it that contains his name and subject number. Clearly, the cougar escaped from somewhere, some time ago.

Rogue has posed:
The affectionate attention given unto her after she provided that meal has her smiling and scrunching up her face a little at it. "You're welcome. Gonna get me in trouble with the Dog Police though when I get home." She informs him before her verdent hued eyes pick up the nametag of his collar.

Her right hand reaches out to it, to take hold of it. She reads the information on it.

"Alderic?" She asks him. "What is that? Norse?" She has no idea. She softly shakes her head from side to side.

"Look. I dunno how much you understand English, but if you need help... I know people who can offer it. I mean... I live an' work at a school, so I don't think you'd wanna hang out there much... all the damn kids eat more food, faster than even you do." She says as she drops her left leg down to the dirt and looks toward the big cat.

"But still. If you're in trouble, I know people who can help."

She shows another smile then before she exhales sharply, her eyes going back out to the creek then.

The sun is on its way down so the sky has that dim blue glow to it, and the sun is vanishing behind the trees rapidly.

Alderic has posed:
    Alderic seems to understand just fine! It's the speaking that's a problem, because he can only reply to her with an enthusiastic "Rraow!" Though he's never been to a school before, so he wouldn't know! And kids would probably love him, with as friendly as he is. And those fuzzy ears. Still, he tilts his head a little when she offers him help, and he responds with an inquisitive "Rrowl?" He doesn't -seem- like he's in danger, and he's not injuried in any way. In fact, he seems rather well-cared-for, all things considered. His fur is trimmed and cleaned, no injuries, not even scars suggesting abuse. Though, with all that tawny fur covering him, that might be hard to see on the surface.

    As she puts her leg down, Rogue might be surprised to find Alderic twisting about to drape himself over her lap! Perhaps he took the movement as an invitation. Or, considering he's a cat, maybe he just sprawled out because he wanted to. He's still purring loudly, and he stretches out lazily for a moment with a big, open-mawed yawn. He doesn't seem to have anywhere to be in a hurry, himself, and it would be easy enough for her to push him off her leg if she does. Of course, Alderic might very well follow her back to the school if she does!

Rogue has posed:
With the big cat fella just laying down across her lap and the ground, Rogue just smirks at him. Her right knee is still held up, her right arm draped over it, but she does lower it down and extend her right leg out in front of her. "Food and naps. Typical." The Belle tells the Beastman. She ventures a hand down to the top of his head moments after he yawns to offer him a soft pet, much like she gives to her beloved Jeeperson.

"Well... you don't look like you're worse for wear..." She says, her eyes roaming him over. "So either you're findin' all the best girls with picnic baskets, or you've got a home you're adventurin' away from."

The young woman fishes her cell phone out of her hip pocket on her jeans shorts, and raises it up. She's soon snapping a picture of his face, along with that collar. "Say cheese, Taco Breath." She says as the camera shutter noise sounds off. Her left hand lowers her phone down to rest it on the top of her right thigh then, as she keeps up the light pets of the furry one. "Well. I'm Marie, though most around here call me Rogue. Can you at least say that?" She asks with a grin, before she's playfully sounding it out down at him. "Rooooo guh!"

Alderic has posed:
    Alderic rumbles a little as she pets the top of his head. He tilts his head up a bit, trying to encourage more petting by nuzzling against her hand! He's still purring quite loudly, the vibrations from it felt against her legs as he lays against them. He tilts his head as he looks up at her phone, unfamiliar with what it -does- but he's seen quite a few of them! He tries to answer her, but she only gets a "Rooaaow!" in an effort to say her name. It's the best he can do, the shape of his mouth and vocal chords makes it difficult for him to speak English.

    He seems to like the light petting though, and he stretches out a little to get comfortable, just lazily sprawled out to let her pet his head. His tail flicks a little, the tip of it twitching against the dirt path. After a moment his head tilts back and up, so he can look up at her face again. "Rr-aaow?" he tries again, though it's no closer than the first time!

Rogue has posed:
Throughout the tries, Rogue kept petting his soft fur. She heard the attempts and just smiled at them, smirked really. "Close... ish." She responds before raising her eyes up to look at the creek as a little splish noise is heard in the waterway. Her right hand goes up to brush her hair from her face before she strokes her pinky fingertip over the sides of her nose. "Well, Mistah Alderic. I can show ya the way t'where I live, introduce ya to some'a our people, if ya'd like?" She asks then as she looks back down at him to see him looking up at her.

"But ya gotta promise t'play nice, ya hear?" She asks. "Especially if a yellow furred dog comes runnin' outta the house barkin' his fool head off. He's only tryin' t'protect me, ya see? Darn fella doesn't realize I can flip a tank over with just my arm strength."

Her right arm goes up, she flexes it for him, the muscles in her bicep tensing and puffing up... but she's about as visually intimidating as a underwear model can get.

Another few stroking pets, then a pat. "Okay, well, lets head back then." The southern flower tells the big cat man. "I'll get ya some more food when we get there too, if ya'd like."

With that, the young woman starts to rise up, hoisting herself toward her feet again, taking only a moment to crouch and gather up the food containers back in to the cooler.

Alderic has posed:
    And just like that, cuddle time is over! Alderic twists around to get back onto his hands and feet. Since he doesn't have anything to gather up, he's ready to go rather quickly! Though he makes it difficult for Rogue, because the whole time he's still trying to nuzzle against her in that friendly feline manner. He's purring warmly, and he nods his head to her! "Rraow!" At least he understands the rules, and it's unlikely the canine could do anything to hurt him anyways. Once Rogue is ready to go, Alderic falls into step beside her, moving fairly quickly for someone on all fours. He's never been around this way before, so he's constantly looking up at Rogue for indication on which way to go!